Company Description
Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp (NASDAQ: ADPT) is a commercial-stage biotechnology company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with additional operations in South San Francisco, California. The company specializes in immune medicine, combining high-throughput sequencing technology with advanced computational biology to decode the adaptive immune system.
Core Technology Platform
Adaptive Biotechnologies has developed a proprietary platform that sequences and analyzes T-cell and B-cell receptors, which form the core of the human adaptive immune system. This technology enables researchers and clinicians to understand how the immune system responds to diseases, infections, and therapeutic interventions. By reading the genetic sequences of immune cells, the platform provides insights that were previously impossible to obtain at scale.
Commercial Products and Services
The company operates through two primary business segments: Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) testing and Immune Medicine. The MRD testing business, marketed under the clonoSEQ brand, provides diagnostic assays that detect residual cancer cells in patients with blood cancers such as multiple myeloma and certain types of leukemia. This testing helps oncologists determine treatment effectiveness and make informed decisions about patient care.
The Immune Medicine segment focuses on research applications and drug discovery partnerships. Pharmaceutical companies use Adaptive's platform to understand immune responses to their therapeutic candidates, identify biomarkers, and develop targeted treatments.
Strategic Partnerships
Adaptive Biotechnologies has established collaboration agreements with major pharmaceutical companies to advance immune-based drug development. These partnerships typically involve using the company's sequencing platform to characterize immune responses in clinical trials and identify patients most likely to benefit from specific treatments.
Scientific Foundation
The company's approach is grounded in the biology of adaptive immunity. Every T-cell and B-cell receptor has a unique genetic sequence that determines which pathogens or abnormal cells it can recognize. By sequencing millions of these receptors from a single blood sample, Adaptive creates a detailed map of an individual's immune response. This information has applications across oncology, infectious disease, autoimmune conditions, and transplant medicine.
Regulatory Status
The clonoSEQ assay has received FDA clearance for MRD testing in multiple myeloma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, representing significant regulatory milestones for the company's diagnostic offerings. Medicare and other major health insurers provide coverage for these tests, enabling broad patient access.
Market Position
Adaptive Biotechnologies occupies a specialized niche at the intersection of diagnostics and drug discovery. The company competes in the precision medicine market, where genetic and molecular testing guides treatment decisions. Its focus on immune sequencing differentiates it from traditional diagnostic companies and positions it within the emerging field of immune-driven therapeutics.