Program Justification Summary.docx

Program Justification Summary

As the threat of COVID-19 continues in the international community with new variants emerging every week, the need for a comprehensive understanding of the humoral immune response in response to vaccination and infection is a health care priority. To assist in this effort, the VRC-VIP will use the Illumina NextSeq 100 sequencer. The VRC-VIP identified this sequencer as it is unique in its capacity to perform single-cell, whole exome, and RNA sequencing. The VRC-VIP identified the Illumina has a leader in the sequencing field, that offers reliable readout and high-resolution genetic information at the single cell level. The platform also offers higher throughput for the processing of multiple samples.

Illumina NEXTSEQ is better than other sequencing platforms because it has a faster turnaround time, enhanced genomic coverage, lower limit of detection, higher capacity for multiplexing allowing for lower cost per sequence.

We use 10X and SMARTseq technology to sequence B cell receptors. These technologies which we have been using in our lab for over 5 years are only compatible with Illumina sequencing.

We are currently using only Illumina sequencers, other sequencers from other vendors would need a full evaluation and may not be compatible with our current protocols.