Developing personalized medicine and understanding the unique pathologies of disease in people propels many cell and gene studies. Particularly, the growing innovation in immunogenetics, which is the study of the immune response from a genetic perspective, is valuable in identifying therapeutic targets and creating more effective diagnostic and preventative treatments [1]. This blog post will delve into the role of immunogenetics in genomic studies, the importance of diversity in immunogenetics, and specific biomedical applications and life science solutions to amplify the impact of this science.
The Role of Immunogenetics in Cell and Gene Studies
The unique interaction of the immune system and pathogens provides fertile ground for scientists to study and understand, further shedding light on underlying biological mechanisms of disease and patient susceptibility [2]. Simply put, immunogenetics can reveal how and why different people have incredibly varying responses to disease. For example, in an insight article published by the University of Lisbon, the scientists described how differences in genes impact how the immune system is involved in different infections, including leukemia, hepatitis C, HIV, and Crohn’s disease [2]. In identifying how different immune cells could combat these diseases, a better understanding of how to specifically target and treat diseases becomes possible.
The Importance of Diversity of Immunogenetics in Cell and Gene Studies
While the power of immunogenetics in research is highly useful and translatable to clinical applications, it is important to acknowledge the value of diversity that could bolster its impact. Currently, genomic studies rely primarily on genetic information from populations with European ancestry, excluding other large and genetically diverse populations [3]. This imbalance in sourcing genomic information for immunogenetic studies contributes to inequity in many disease interventions, widening health disparities [3].
Diversity in immunogenetics is beneficial and increases scientists’ ability to identify novel genetic information about the immune system and expands understanding of how pathogens interact across and within different populations [3]. Especially with global pandemics such as COVID-19, the need for diversity in immunogenomics is integral to addressing diseases across the world and effectively treating and protecting people.
Case Study: Immunogenetics and Covid Testing
Applying immunogenetics to cell and gene studies provides a deeper look into disease mechanisms and requires advanced technological platforms to be executed. The NanoString nCounter technology used by Synexa Life Sciences provides a life science solution that helps immunologists and disease researchers understand the mechanisms behind certain diseases. For example, one of the most significant and impactful applications of the NanoString nCounter is to assess COVID-19 immunological and inflammatory response [4]. The information from this research revealed valuable information about individualized host immune response to the virus and helped identify multiple risk factors that may contribute to COVID-19 severity and mortality. This knowledge can ultimately be translated into more accurate and effective COVID testing procedures and therapeutics.
Synexa Life Sciences is a leader in developing immunogenetic solutions for cell and gene studies with a global reputation specifically for bioanalysis services. By providing expert insight and technological solutions to immunologists and disease researchers around the globe, Synexa Life Sciences is on the frontier of immunogenetics and drives it forward as an impactful scientific field. The expert staff at Synexa Life Sciences will work with clients to ensure the best life science solutions for cell and gene study demands.
If you are interested in learning more about solutions for your immunogenetics research, please reach out to an expert at Synexa Life Sciences.
Sources:
[1] Immunogenetics – Latest research and news | Nature. (2022, October 27). Nature.com; Nature. https://www.nature.com/subjects/immunogenetics
[2] Ribeiro, R. M., & Graca, L. (2020, May 14). Immunogenetics: Untangling the immune basis of disease susceptibility. ELife; eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd. https://elifesciences.org/articles/56886
[3] Peng, K., Safonova, Y., Shugay, M., Popejoy, A. B., Rodriguez, O. L., Breden, F., Brodin, P., Burkhardt, A. M., Bustamante, C., Cao-Lormeau, V.-M., Corcoran, M. M., Duffy, D., Fuentes-Guajardo, M., Fujita, R., Greiff, V., Jönsson, V. D., Liu, X., Quintana-Murci, L., Rossetti, M., & Xie, J. (2021). Diversity in immunogenomics: the value and the challenge. Nature Methods, 18(6), 588–591. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-021-01169-5
[4] NanoString nCounter Technology – COVID-19 Immunological and Inflammatory Response – Synexa Life Sciences. (2020, October 2). Synexa Life Sciences – a Global Leader in Biomarker Services. https://synexagroup.com/feature-articles/nanostring-ncounter-technology-covid-19-immunological-and-inflammatory-response/
