iTAg™ MHC Tetramer Technology

Prior to the development of Class I and Class II MHC Tetramers, identification of antigen-specific T cells was limited due to lack of sensitivity and specificity in existing technology. Now with unparalleled iTAg MHC Tetramer technology, MHC/peptide binding is utilized to detect antigen and MHC-specific T cells at the single-cell level. The immune response information iTAg MHC Tetramers provides is pivotal in helping make the right decisions during vaccine and drug development as well as clinical trials. MHC Tetramers are complexes of four MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) molecules, which are associated with a specific peptide and bound to a fluorochrome. These complexes bind to a distinct set of T cell receptors (TCRs) on a subset of CD8+ T cells. Thus, mixing tetramers with PBLs or whole blood and detection using flow cytometry, a count of all T cells that are specific for one peptide and its matched allele is provided, regardless of functionality. Simply stated, iTAg reagents will allow us to measure the cellular response against one specific peptide.

Benefits of using iTAg MHC Tetramer Technology include:

• Staining with iTAg Tetramers allows precise quantitation of antigen-specific T cells by reducing nonspecific CD8/MHC interactions.

• iTAg Tetramers are more efficient than native Tetramers in sorting specific T cells.

• Manufacturing processes are optimized to ensure stable products and reproducible performance.