Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation, a pioneer in the field of genomic immune profiling, has obtained a notice of allowance in US Patent Application Serial No. 12/794,507, titled “Method of Measuring Adaptive Immunity,” exclusively licensed by Adaptive Biotechnologies from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre.
The complexity of the adaptive immune system, marked by millions of unique genetic receptors on the surface of immune fighter cells (T-cells and B-cells), is what enables the body to defend against a vast array of potential pathogens. A critical first step in profiling the adaptive immune system is the generation of millions of replicas of the DNA of these receptors to prepare them for high-throughput sequencing. Strands of nucleic acid called primers are required for successful DNA replication, or amplification. In order to account for all of the possible receptors of the immune system, the Company first pioneered immune profiling by combining these primers together into one reaction, referred to as a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
The allowed claims for this foundational case broadly cover compositions and methods for Adaptive’s revolutionary immunoSEQ assay technology, which use these multiplex PCR primers in a single reaction to provide high-resolution analysis of a subject’s adaptive immune system. This powerful, enabling technology is increasingly being used for diverse clinical applications to monitor a wide variety of immune-mediated diseases, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, transplant response and infectious diseases. This broad patent positions Adaptive as a significant intellectual property stakeholder for next generation adaptive immune system analysis technologies.
“We are thrilled to have received this allowance from the USPTO,” remarked CEO and co-founder, Chad Robins. “Adaptive is a pioneer in the immunosequencing field and we are amassing an intellectual property portfolio that builds off of this foundational case to support our pipeline of assays that offer researchers and clinicians a reliable, quantitative method to characterize the adaptive immune system.” Robins further explained that the company has already launched its clonoSEQ assay for monitoring Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) in blood-based cancers and anticipates the launch of other assay into the clinic in the near future to support the diagnosis and staging of cancer patients.