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Adaptive Biotechnologies, AstraZeneca Collaborate on Mapping Immune Response in Cancer

NEW YORK – Adaptive Biotechnologies and AstraZeneca announced Monday a collaboration to use Adaptive's ImmunoSeq T-Map technology to analyze immune response to cancer antigens across AstraZeneca's oncology portfolio.

Under the terms of the deal, AstraZeneca will provide biological samples from patients with cancer. Adaptive will sequence these samples and deliver T cell receptor and antigen mapping data, which may inform signatures of immune response or resistance to cancer therapies.

The scope of this non-exclusive, pan-portfolio oncology collaboration may be expanded to cover additional therapeutic areas, including autoimmunity and infectious diseases. Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"We continue to demonstrate that specific T-cell immune receptor data can be utilized to inform the diagnosis and treatment for most diseases," Sharon Benzeno, Adaptive Biotechnologies' chief business development officer, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to partner with AstraZeneca to realize the value of antigen-specific T cell response data across their portfolio of transformative cancer medicines."

Adaptive's ImmunoSeq T-Map is a product that provides researchers with a quantitative map of TCRs and antigens that elicit an immune response. The firm signed a marketing agreement with Q2 Solutions around ImmunoSeq and ImmunoSeq T-Map COVID in December.

This is the latest pharma partnership for Seattle-based Adaptive. The firm has also partnered with Genentech on personalized cancer therapy development and minimal residual disease (MRD) testing. It has also partnered with AbbVie and GlaxoSmithKline on MRD testing.

The data collected in the AstraZeneca collaboration may help guide treatment decisions, and mapping unique TCRs to antigens could provide information on the potential for early and accurate detection of disease and the specificity of a patient's response to therapy, the firms said in a statement.

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