Lonza HLA-typed cells

Lonza now provides an expansive selection of high-resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-typed primary cells spanning all major cell and tissue types. The ready-typed lots should eliminate the need for burdensome in-house sequencing processes and provide drug developers with a critical tool for the effective development of personalised therapies.

Nearly 50 different cell types are available from Lonza’s broad donor inventory, with detailed HLA data derived from gold-standard next-generation sequencing techniques. The offering builds on the company’s human primary cell capabilities to meet rapidly growing market demand for deeper and more comprehensive cell characterisation.

A person’s HLA type is a key determinant of the immune system’s response to foreign substances. HLA data is critical for preclinical exploration of cross-reactivities and off-target drug effects. HLA information is also needed for the development of engineered biotherapeutic T cell receptors and antibodies, patient stratification to optimise the clinical effectiveness of cancer therapies and the development of new cancer vaccines. As such, there is a rapidly growing market need for high-quality HLA-typed primary cells.

However, screening cell lots for HLA type can be lengthy and cumbersome to conduct in-house, and there is no guarantee that unscreened purchased lots will be the desired HLA type. Further, many vendors are only able to offer lots with lower-resolution HLA information obtained from serological typing methods, which can lead to incomplete HLA matching and poorer predictivity of in vitro models as a result. Being able to select lots with the desired high-resolution HLA data thus enables efficient preclinical development and boosts chances of drug development success.

Having previously offered HLA-typing services on a custom basis, Lonza is now providing high-resolution HLA information at no additional cost for a wide selection of its cell lots. With a diverse donor inventory that includes different age groups, genders and ethnicities, a broad range of donor cell lots with various HLA types is currently available, including HLA-A2*01.