In Episode 20 of On AIRR, Dr. Lauren Williamson and Dr. Robert Carnahan, both from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Dr. Matthew Vogt, from the University of North Carolina, share extreme stories of sample collection that reveal how cutting-edge therapeutic antibody development depends as much on donor generosity and complex global logistics as on scientific innovation.

From dramatic efforts to secure the first U.S. donor samples in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, to rescuing lost samples from airport corridors and navigating international politics, these stories highlight the critical timing windows, global coordination, and human collaboration required to develop life-saving therapeutics. Throughout these extraordinary stories runs a thread of human generosity, demonstrating how crisis can bring out the best of human nature.

Comments are welcome to the inbox of onairr@airr-community.org or on social media under the tag #onAIRR. Further information can be found here: https://www.antibodysociety.org/the-airr-community/airr-c-podcast.

The episode is hosted by Dr. Ulrik Stervbo and Dr. Zhaoqing Ding.

Announcements and links

• Lauren Williamson https://www.vumc.org/crowe-lab/person/lauren-williamson-phd
• Robert Carnahan https://www.vumc.org/crowe-lab/person/robert-carnahan-phd
• Matthew Vogt https://www.vogtviruslab.com
• Other:
  • ReVAMPP https://revampp.org
  • Adaptive Immune Receptor Repertoire Community (AIRR-C) https://www.airr-community.org
  • The Antibody Society (TAbS) https://www.antibodysociety.org
  • AIRR-C Seminar Series: https://www.antibodysociety.org/the-airr-community/airr-community-seminar-series/

Episode 19 of onAIRR features a lively and insightful conversation with three outstanding scientists committed to advancing pandemic preparedness. Dr. Lauren Williamson and Dr. Robert Carnahan, both from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Dr. Matthew Vogt, from the University of North Carolina, share their passion for viral immunology and the art of discovering and developing therapeutic antibodies.

onAIRR’s guests provide a behind-the-scenes look at how collaborative research is shaping the future of global health. They introduce the Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness (ReVAMPP) research network, a major NIH-funded initiative aimed at strengthening pandemic readiness. The conversation explores the use of prototype pathogen approaches to identifying broadly neutralizing antibodies against high-priority viral families, the challenges of balancing breadth versus potency in therapeutic antibodies, and innovative screening methodologies that could transform our ability to respond to future pandemics.

Comments are welcome to the inbox of onairr@airr-community.org or on social media under the tag #onAIRR. Further information can be found here: https://www.antibodysociety.org/the-airr-community/airr-c-podcast.

The episode is hosted by Dr. Ulrik Stervbo and Dr. Zhaoqing Ding.

Announcements and links

• Lauren Williamson https://www.vumc.org/crowe-lab/person/lauren-williamson-phd
• Robert Carnahan https://www.vumc.org/crowe-lab/person/robert-carnahan-phd
• Matthew Vogt https://www.vogtviruslab.com
• ReVAMPP https://revampp.org
• ReVAMPP https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/nih-awards-establish-pandemic-preparedness-research-network
• "Prototype Pathogen Approach for Vaccine and Monoclonal Antibody Development: A Critical Component of the NIAID Plan for Pandemic Preparedness” https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiac296
• Adaptive Immune Receptor Repertoire Community (AIRR-C) https://www.airr-community.org
• The Antibody Society (TAbS) https://www.antibodysociety.org
• AIRR-C Seminar Series https://www.antibodysociety.org/the-airr-community/airr-community-seminar-series

In this episode of On AIRR, Dr. Paul Thomas, reviews advances in the field of TCR sequencing. Dr. Thomas is a faculty member in the Department of Immunology of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. His work has advanced our understanding of innate and adaptive immune responses and TCR specificity with a focus on responses to viral infections.

In Episode 18 of On AIRR, Dr. Thomas shares his journey from immunoparasitology to pioneering TCR repertoire sequencing. He began his scientific career studying innate immune responses to parasites during his graduate work in immunoparasitology. Motivated by a desire to use advanced molecular techniques, he moved to St. Jude for his postdoctoral research, where he contributed to the development of TCR repertoire sequencing methods. The discussion covers the evolution from single-chain TCR sequencing to the development of high-throughput paired sequencing methods, culminating in the TIRTL-seq approach. Dr. Thomas explains the technical and computational challenges in TCR pairing, the innovations that made large-scale studies possible, and the importance of data quality and curation in the field. The episode highlights the impact of these advances on understanding immune responses and the future of AIRR-based diagnostics.

Comments are welcome to the inbox of onairr@airr-community.org or on social media under the tag #onAIRR. Further information can be found here: https://www.antibodysociety.org/the-airr-community/airr-c-podcast.

The episode is hosted by Dr. Ulrik Stervbo and Dr. Zhaoqing Ding.

Announcements and links

• Paul Thomas Lab https://www.stjude.org/research/labs/thomas-lab.html
• Other:
  • TIRTL-seq: Deep, quantitative, and affordable paired TCR repertoire sequencing https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.16.613345
  • TIRTL-seq repository: https://github.com/pogorely/TIRTL
  • Adaptive Immune Receptor Repertoire Community (AIRR-C) https://www.airr-community.org
  • The Antibody Society (TAbS) https://www.antibodysociety.org

AIRR-C Seminar Series s https://www.antibodysociety.org/the-airr-community/airr-community-seminar-series/