================================================================================================================================ lazar read across models for lowest adverse effect levels: A comparison of experimental variability with read across predictions ================================================================================================================================

Christoph Helma, David Vorgrimmler, Martin Guetlein, Denis Gebele, Elena Lo Piparo

in silico toxicology gmbh, Rastatterstrasse 41, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

Introduction

The main objectives of this study are

Methods

Data

Mazzatorta dataset

Swiss dataset

Preprocessing

Missing and invalid SMILES Unfortunately no identifier is complete across all compound therefore we focused on SMILES. Missing SMILES were generated from other identifiers when available.

study type/ table rat_chron mouse_chron multigen missing SMILES 35 27 31 invalid SMILES 9 6 9 corrected SMILES 44 33 40 Detailed tables: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14P8F-3iX5gr5FbN7oSeuwabUOr_xdDhhr5KwiUX6LXY/edit?usp=sharing

Algorithms

For this study we are using the modular lazar (lazy structure activity relationships) framework (helma..) for model development and validation.

lazar follows the following basic workflow: For a given chemical structure it searches in a database for similar structures (neighbors) with experimental data, builds a local (Q)SAR model with these neighbors and uses this model to predict the unknown activity of the query compound. This procedure resembles an automated version of read across predictions in toxicology, in machine learning terms it would be classified as a k-nearest-neighbor algorithm.

Apart from this basic workflow lazar is completely modular and allows the researcher to use any algorithm for neighbor identification and local (Q)SAR modelling. Within this study we are using the following algorithms:

Neighbor identification

Similarity calculations are based on TODO fingerprints (Bender 2003) from the OpenBabel chemoinformatics library (TODO). The TODO fingerprint uses atom environments as molecular representation, which resemble basically the chemical concept of functional groups. For each atom in a molecule the atom types of connected atoms are recorded. The same procedure is repeated for connected atoms up to a given distance of chemical bonds. From this data a vector with atom type counts at a given distance from the central atom is constructed. These vectors are used to calculate chemical similarities.

TODO: example???

Similarities are expressed as Tanimoto index

TODO: Jaquard index? TODO: formula TODO: similarity threshold

Such a In machine learning

The main advantage of TODO fingerprints in comparison to fingerprints with predefined substructures such as MACCs fingerprints (TODO) is that

TODO; toxicological relevance

Preliminary experiments have shown that predictions with TODO fingerprints are more accurate than fingerprints with predefined substructures (OpenBabel FP TODO) fingerprints, which is in agreement with findings in the literature (TOCDO cite).

Local (Q)SAR models

As soon as neighbors for a query compound have been identified, we can use their experimental LOAEL values to predict the activity of the untested compound. In this case we are using the weighted mean (TODO median?) of the neighbors LOAEL values, where the contribution of each neighbor is weighted by its similarity to the query compound.

Validation

Results

Dataset comparison

Structural composition

Ches-Mapper analysis
Distribution of functional groups

LOAEL values

Intra dataset variability

p-value: 0.4750771581019402

.. image:: loael-dataset-comparison-all-compounds.pdf

Inter dataset variability

.. image:: loael-dataset-comparison-common-compounds.pdf

LOAEL correlation between datasets

using means

.. image:: loael-dataset-correlation.pdf

with "identical" values

r^2: 0.6106457754533314 RMSE: 1.2228212261024438 MAE: 0.801626064534318

Read across predictions

Discussion

Chemical similarity

LOAEL variability

Predictive performance