Thermo Fisher Scientific launched its Oncomine TCR Beta-SR Assay, a new next-generation sequencing (NGS) solution for immuno-oncology research designed to characterize T-cell clonality in the tumor microenvironment in order to identify potential biomarkers associated with immune response.
 
Leveraging T-cell receptor diversity through a targeted sequencing approach is believed to provide the highest level of resolution to help identify predictive and prognostic biomarkers associated with cancer immunotherapy, monitor toxicity, treatment resistance and optimize the manufacture and function of therapeutic T-cells. Oncomine TCR Beta-SR Assay is designed to specifically interrogate the CDR3 region of the beta chain of the T-cell receptor, a region that is responsible for antigen recognition and important in uniquely identifying T-cell clones. 
 
The assay uses dual barcode indexing to enable identification of low-frequency clones which has the potential for tracking minimal residual disease. Interrogation of data obtained with the Oncomine TCR Beta-SR Assay (SR = Short Read) is optimized for formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or cell-free DNA (cfDNA) samples. 
 
“TCR sequencing is an essential tool for fingerprinting T-cell responses in cancer,” said Noel de Miranda, Ph.D., department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands. “The Oncomine TCR Beta-LR Assay excels by delivering the full CDR sequences in a single sequencing read. We are currently applying it for the characterization of neo-antigen-specific T-cells and for the improvement of immunotherapeutic modalities.”