The clinical applications of immunosequencing

Curr Res Transl Med. 2024 Sep;72(3):103439. doi: 10.1016/j.retram.2024.103439. Epub 2024 Jan 12.

Abstract

Technological advances in high-throughput sequencing have opened the door for the interrogation of adaptive immune responses at unprecedented scale. It is now possible to determine the sequences of antibodies or T-cell receptors produced by individual B and T cells in a sample. This capability, termed immunosequencing, has transformed the study of both infectious and non-infectious diseases by allowing the tracking of dynamic changes in B and T cell clonal populations over time. This has improved our understanding of the pathology of cancers, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. However, to date there has been only limited clinical adoption of the technology. Advances over the last decade and on the horizon that reduce costs and improve interpretability could enable widespread clinical use. Many clinical applications have been proposed and, while most are still undergoing research and development, some methods relying on immunosequencing data have been implemented, the most widespread of which is the detection of measurable residual disease. Here, we review the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic applications of immunosequencing for both infectious and non-infectious diseases.

Keywords: Antibody repertoire; Immune repertoire profiling; Immunosequencing; Next generation sequencing; T-cell repertoire.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adaptive Immunity
  • Autoimmune Diseases* / diagnosis
  • Autoimmune Diseases* / genetics
  • Autoimmune Diseases* / immunology
  • Autoimmune Diseases* / therapy
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Communicable Diseases / diagnosis
  • Communicable Diseases / immunology
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing*
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms* / immunology
  • Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Prognosis
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / genetics
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology

Substances

  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell