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How to use single-cell bio foundation models for cell type classification

Jad Sbaï

Imagine being able to decode the unique molecular blueprint of every single cell in the human body, unveiling the mysteries of our biology at a remarkable level of detail. This exciting advancement is becoming possible through the integration of AI across various domains, including molecular biology.

In this short post, we will give you an overview of the most promising open-source single-cell foundation models that you should test and integrate into your research!

Challenges in single-cell RNA-seq analyses

If the Human Genome Project provided us with the book of life, single-cell analyses show us how each cell reads this book. These analyses shed light on the roles of individual cells in development, disease progression, and response to treatments. However, the high-dimensional and large-scale nature of single-cell data presents significant analytical challenges. Researchers face hurdles in integrating and interpreting vast datasets, extracting meaningful features, and dealing with differences due to technical effects that can obscure true biological signals. Moreover, overcorrecting for batch effects can be equally problematic, as it may eliminate genuine biological variation, further complicating data analysis.

Single-cell foundation models are well positioned to address those challenges

Challenges in single-cell RNA-seq analyses

import numpy as np
from sklearn.metrics import confusion_matrix, ConfusionMatrixDisplay
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Compute the confusion matrix
cm = confusion_matrix(classification_labels_test, outputs.argmax(axis=1))

# Perform row-wise normalization
cm_normalized = cm.astype('float') / cm.sum(axis=1)[:, np.newaxis]

# Get unique labels in the order they appear in the confusion matrix
unique_labels = np.unique(np.concatenate((classification_labels_test, outputs.argmax(axis=1))))

# Use id_class_dict to get the class names
class_names = [id_class_dict[label] for label in unique_labels]

# Create and plot the normalized confusion matrix
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(15, 15))
disp = ConfusionMatrixDisplay(confusion_matrix=cm_normalized, display_labels=class_names)

disp.plot(ax=ax, xticks_rotation='vertical', values_format='.2f', cmap='coolwarm')

# Customize the plot
ax.set_title('Normalized Confusion Matrix (Row-wise)')
fig.set_facecolor("none")

# Adjust layout and display the plot
plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()

If the Human Genome Project provided us with the book of life, single-cell analyses show us how each cell reads this book. These analyses shed light on the roles of individual cells in development, disease progression, and response to treatments. However, the high-dimensional and large-scale nature of single-cell data presents significant analytical challenges. Researchers face hurdles in integrating and interpreting vast datasets, extracting meaningful features, and dealing with differences due to technical effects that can obscure true biological signals. Moreover, overcorrecting for batch effects can be equally problematic, as it may eliminate genuine biological variation, further complicating data analysis.

Helical’s open-source package aims to simplify this by providing standardized tools and resources.

If the Human Genome Project provided us with the book of life, single-cell analyses show us how each cell reads this book. These analyses shed light on the roles of individual cells in development, disease progression, and response to treatments. However, the high-dimensional and large-scale nature of single-cell data presents significant analytical challenges. Researchers face hurdles in integrating and interpreting vast datasets, extracting meaningful features, and dealing with differences due to technical effects that can obscure true biological signals. Moreover, overcorrecting for batch effects can be equally problematic, as it may eliminate genuine biological variation, further complicating data analysis.

If the Human Genome Project provided us with the book of life, single-cell analyses show us how each cell reads this book. These analyses shed light on the roles of individual cells in development, disease progression, and response to treatments.

Get started

While these models show great promise, they often lie in decentralized GitHub repositories, and users need to delve deeply into the accompanying literature to utilize them effectively. Additionally, integrating these models into existing workflows, specific applications, and ensuring compatibility with various data formats can be challenging.

About Helical

Helical is an open-core platform for computational biologists and data scientists to effortlessly integrate single-cell & genomics AI Bio Foundation Models in early-stage drug discovery.

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