Rachel Byron

Adaptive Biotechnologies

01.2019 - Current

Design and execution of the sample prep used to phenotype disease specific target T cells using 10x Genomics' single cell platform.
Integral member of a small team that developed highly specific and sensitive multiplex serology assays to create infectious disease exposure labels used to aide our computation biology group in creating TCR repertoire based disease prediction models.
Developed a CD4 memory based MIRA (multiplex identification of antigen specific T cell receptors) assay.
Wrote protocols and trained lab staff on MSD and MIRA assays.
Independently designed, optimized and executed a protocol for the isolation of MAIT and iNKT cells from human PBMCs used to create computational models for identifying these cell types in TCR repertoires.
Wrote SOPs and created contrived samples and corresponding flow data currently being used to validate our ImmunoSeq assay for use as a clinical trial end point.
Working both independently and collaboratively with a diverse group of scientists to generate high quality data on time.
Formally present experimental design, background information, data analysis and conclusions.

Pacific Northwest Research Institute - Galas Lab

03.2016 - 01.2019

Our team used the chicken beta-globin locus, a classic model system for tissue specific gene regulation, to explore the epigenetic mechanisms for activation and inactivation of a tissue specific, developmentally regulated locus.
Collaboratively worked to successfully establish a system using CRISPR/Cas9 to produce germline, gene-edited chickens in order to do in vivo studies.
Isolated small RNAs from human body fluids and performed next gen sequencing.

Fred Hutch Cancer Center

06.2001 - 03.2016

Our lab worked on uncovering the roles of long distal regulatory elements (enhancers) in chromatin and gene regulation by studying both mouse and human beta globin loci.
Managed a large transgenic mouse colony and trained junior staff to handle, wean and genotype dozens of strains of mice.
Diligently cultured, transfected, isolated and screened primary mouse ES cells for homologous recombination which were used to established several transgenic mouse strains.
Established in-vitro differentiation protocols of primary human HSCs to create mature erythroid cells used for chromatin and gene regulation studies.

Summary