{"id":231,"date":"2020-10-03T17:14:03","date_gmt":"2020-10-03T17:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avadawebsites.wpengine.com\/psychology\/?page_id=231"},"modified":"2025-03-19T04:40:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T04:40:13","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/smaac.dev\/biomedx\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"

T Cell Receptor Profiling for Immunology Discovery with T-FINDER<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Our expertise is a critical and complex component of the human adaptive immune system: the T lymphocyte<\/strong>. We have developed a proprietary technology platform \u2013 the T-FINDER platform<\/strong> \u2013 that allows us to functionally identify and map cognate epitopes of human T cell receptors (TCRs) at unprecedented speed and accuracy. As a result, we can profile patient-derived TCR repertoires against large libraries of putative target epitopes.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Why We Are Unique<\/div><\/div>

Physiological TCR Target Discovery Platform<\/h2><\/div>
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Natural Processes.<\/h4><\/div>

Precise discoveries.<\/h4><\/div>
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Identification of the target epitope(s) of a given T cell receptor (TCR) is a major challenge. In contrast to antibodies, which bind directly to their target, T cells recognize processed peptide epitopes presented by class I and II HLA molecules. Most attempts described in the literature to make this interaction amenable to high-throughput screening are based on engineered variants of the T cell receptors and\/or peptide:HLA complexes, or a priori knowledge of the epitope and\/or presenting HLA allele, limiting their ability to fully catalog physiologically relevant TCR:target interactions.<\/p>\n

In contrast, T-FINDER more closely represents the physiological processes underlying antigen processing, presentation, and ligand-induced T-cell activation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Our patent-pending platform consists of three major components:<\/h3><\/div>
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T Cell Reporter Construct<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Our reporter cassette is designed such that any exogenous TCR or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) can be inserted into the system. Based on a highly sensitive and specific synthetic promoter, engagement of the inserted receptor produces a fluorescent signal with an unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio easily detected by flow cytometry and\/or microscopy. At the same time, the activated T cells produce a secreted label that binds to the cognate antigen-presenting cell(s).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Antigen-Presenting Cell Construct<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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As a starting point for this construct, we use immortalized antigen-presenting cells from the TCR-autologous donor or our biobank, which currently covers approximately 80% of the most frequent HLA alleles. Following transduction with our patent-pending minigene library construct, these cells process and present peptides from the encoded antigens efficiently and persistently on both class I and II HLA. As a unique feature, we have identified and overcome a size limitation constraint on cDNA-derived antigen processing. As a result, we reliably achieve epitope presentation from open reading frames up to 400 amino acids in length, enabling library design that can feasibly cover the entire human reference proteome.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Phenotypic Screening Platform<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Next-generation sequencing of enriched target antigens is a powerful readout for high-throughput screening, but can be time-consuming and noisy. For targeted applications in which this is undesirable, we have developed a combinatorial phenotypic screening approach that unambiguously identifies the cognate target(s) with up to 98% first-pass confidence. This enables quick and cost-efficient profiling of TCRs against relatively large antigen libraries.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

How can we support your research and development?<\/h2><\/div>

Our preferred business model is to perform customized research projects on a fee-for-service basis. At the end of a project, our customers acquire full ownership of the results at pre-defined terms without the obligation of royalty or milestone payments.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Let’s Work Together<\/h2><\/div>

We are here to find the answers to your questions.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Schedule a meeting<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>