Diagnostics Working Group (Interim)

Purpose:

The Diagnostics WG explores the possibility of applying AIRR-seq technology as a diagnostic tool to the clinics. While there has been tremendous progress in the field in terms of understanding the rearrangement of T- and B-cell receptors, binding to antigens, and basic biological function, this understanding has not yet led to larger clinical applicability. The WG wants to find out why this is the case and what the AIRR-C can do to expand AIRR-seq techniques (sequencing and analysis) into the field of diagnostics.

Goals:

1. Evaluate the usage of AIRR-seq data for diagnostic purposes. These include diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring purposes, inclusion biomarkers for clinical studies, etc.
2. Identify bottlenecks or challenges for AIRR-seq based clinical assays. These can be software tools, but also data sets or general approaches (statistical, machine learning, pattern recognition, etc).
3. Collaborate with other AIRR-C WG to brainstorm and promote further development and applications of AIRR-seq clinical testing (e.g. potential project design, standard data collection, software tools, extension to new diseases or uses …).
4. Represent a link between the AIRR-seq community and regulatory agencies when it comes to using AIRR-seq as a diagnostic tool.
5. Support the AIRR-C efforts with regard to the sequencing analysis of the immune response against the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Plans for 2019/2020 include:

• Become ratified as an official AIRR-C Working Group
• Work with the Common Repository WG to establish standardized data sets of clinical AIRR-seq data in order to facilitate development of diagnostic tools
• Publish a manuscript describing the current state of AIRR-seq for diagnostic purposes and its potential
• Identify major bottlenecks in the usage of AIRR-seq for diagnostic purposes

Members:

Interim Co-leaders (until AIRR-C WG implementation and formal vote): Florian Rubelt, Christopher Gooley, Nicholas Schwab

Members: Rohit Arora, Lmar Babrak, Rachael Bashford-Rogers, Magnolia Bostick, Syed Ahmad Chan Bukhari, Brian Corrie, Lindsay Cowell, Sol Efroni, Khalil El Mazouari, Christopher Gooley, Victor Greiff, David Klatzmann,Yoshinobu Koguchi, Ton Langerak, Theam Soon  Lim, Eline Luning Prak, Susanna Marquez, Pieter Meysman, Enkelejda Miho, Nima Nouri, Milena Pavlović, Florian Rubelt, Geir Kjetil Sandve, Tilman Schneider-Hohendorf, Nicholas Schwab, Erand Smakaj, Cinque Soto, Johannes Trück, Henk-Jan van den Ham, Eric Waltari, Corey Watson

Contact: diagnostics@airrc.antibodysociety.org