Lecturer: Dr. Gur Yaari
Affiliation: Faculty of Engineering,
Bar-Ilan University
Abstract:
Recent dramatic advances in high-
throughput sequencing technologies have
revolutionized the way scientific research is
done. We are now capable of measuring
features of immune responses, by
sequencing the repertoires of human
lymphocyte (T and B cells) receptors, on a
scale never imagined before. As a
consequence, the generation of big data sets
has become routine and there is an urgent
need for computational and analytical
approaches to extract valuable biological
information from these large data sets. We,
and others, have developed specific
computational methods tailored for antibody
(B cell receptor) repertoire analyses.
Applying this suite of tools to antibody
repertoire sequencing data reveals a more
complete picture about the dynamics of the
adaptive immune response in various
clinical conditions. Here, I will present two
examples of the applicability of the tools
developed by us and others in the context of
multiple sclerosis and celiac disease, and
will present my view about the future and
challenges of this emerging field.