Overview

iReceptor Plus is offering the technology tools and infrastructure developed to facilitate the sharing and analyses of antibody and T-cell receptor sequencing (AIRR-seq) data from COVID-19 patients as soon as these data become available.

The iReceptor Plus project is currently building a technological platform with accompanying bioinformatics and machine learning tools to facilitate sharing and joint research of specific immunological data for the purpose of basic research as well as developing new therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and cancer.

The consortium is reaching out to all groups that produce COVID-19 related AIRR-seq data and offering full support for anyone who has such data, throughout the process of curating the data and depositing them on the dedicated COVID-19 iReceptor Plus node or assisting these groups to curate, store and share their data as part of the AIRR Data Commons using the iReceptor Plus Turnkey repository software.

The iReceptor Plus project aims to build a common scalable platform to integrate distributed repositories of AIRR-seq data. This will enable improved personalized medicine and immunotherapy for diseases with an immune component, including cancer, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, allergies and infectious diseases.

The iReceptor Plus Platform will be community-driven and implements the vision of a Data Commons as developed by the Adaptive Immune Receptor Repertoire (AIRR) Community.

The iReceptor Plus project intends to build a platform for the federated exploration and analysis of distributed repositories of AIRR-seq data and associated metadata that adhere to the AIRR Community standards and protocols for generating, analyzing, depositing, exploring, and sharing such data.

The innovative platform will be based on the existing iReceptor platform developed at Simon Fraser University, Canada, an iReceptor Plus partner.

iReceptor Plus will be designed as a network of federated repositories (an AIRR Data Commons) which facilitates data queries and advanced analyses through easy-to-use web portals (e.g., the iReceptor Plus Scientific Gateway).

Solutions addressing data privacy and ownership are an integral component of the iReceptor Plus project. The distributed, federated architecture is central to this approach, as it allows each institution to maintain control over its data and stay compliant with local legislation.

iReceptor Plus will also integrate relevant non-AIRR-seq data – both clinical and biological – to allow the analysis of global interactions within the immune system and in its environment.

The project embraces free and open software, enabling the research community to extend and adapt the tools and technologies utilized within the project. Access to the project’s software is available on the iReceptor Plus GitHub site. Widespread adoption of the iReceptor Plus platform will support biomedical research and improve patient care worldwide.

The High-Level iReceptor Plus Platform Architecture

The High-Level iReceptor Plus Platform Architecture