Agent skill

bio-immunoinformatics-immunogenicity-scoring

Score and prioritize neoantigens and epitopes for immunogenicity using multi-factor models combining MHC binding, processing, expression, and sequence features. Rank candidates for vaccine design. Use when prioritizing epitopes for vaccine development or identifying the most immunogenic neoantigens.

Stars 163
Forks 31

Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry/tree/main/skills/data/immunogenicity-scoring

SKILL.md

Immunogenicity Scoring

Multi-Factor Scoring

python
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

def calculate_immunogenicity_score(peptide_data):
    '''Calculate composite immunogenicity score

    Factors considered:
    1. MHC binding affinity (IC50)
    2. Agretopicity (MT vs WT binding ratio)
    3. Proteasomal processing
    4. TAP transport
    5. Expression level
    6. Clonality (VAF for neoantigens)
    7. Self-similarity (avoid tolerance)

    Each factor scored 0-1, then weighted and combined.
    '''
    scores = {}

    # 1. Binding affinity (lower IC50 = better)
    # Transform to 0-1: 1 at 0nM, 0 at 5000nM
    ic50 = peptide_data.get('ic50_nM', 500)
    scores['binding'] = 1 - min(ic50 / 5000, 1)

    # 2. Agretopicity (MT binds better than WT)
    # Ratio of WT/MT IC50, capped at 10
    agretopicity = peptide_data.get('agretopicity', 1.0)
    scores['agretopicity'] = min(agretopicity / 10, 1)

    # 3. Processing score (from MHCflurry)
    processing = peptide_data.get('processing_score', 0.5)
    scores['processing'] = processing

    # 4. Expression (log scale, capped)
    expression = peptide_data.get('expression_tpm', 10)
    scores['expression'] = min(np.log10(expression + 1) / 3, 1)

    # 5. Clonality (for neoantigens)
    vaf = peptide_data.get('vaf', 0.5)
    scores['clonality'] = vaf

    # 6. Self-similarity (lower = better, less tolerance)
    self_sim = peptide_data.get('self_similarity', 0.5)
    scores['foreignness'] = 1 - self_sim

    # Weighted combination
    weights = {
        'binding': 0.25,
        'agretopicity': 0.20,
        'processing': 0.10,
        'expression': 0.15,
        'clonality': 0.15,
        'foreignness': 0.15
    }

    total = sum(scores[k] * weights[k] for k in weights)

    return total, scores

Processing Prediction

python
from mhcflurry import Class1ProcessingPredictor

def predict_processing_score(peptides):
    '''Predict proteasomal cleavage and TAP transport

    Processing score reflects probability that peptide will be:
    1. Cleaved from protein by proteasome
    2. Transported by TAP into ER
    3. Loaded onto MHC

    Higher processing score = more likely to be presented
    '''
    predictor = Class1ProcessingPredictor.load()

    results = []
    for peptide in peptides:
        # Need surrounding sequence context for processing
        # In practice, extract from protein context
        pred = predictor.predict(peptides=[peptide])
        results.append({
            'peptide': peptide,
            'processing_score': pred['processing_score'].values[0]
        })

    return pd.DataFrame(results)

Self-Similarity Assessment

python
def calculate_self_similarity(peptide, proteome_peptides, threshold=0.8):
    '''Check if peptide is similar to self-peptides

    High similarity to self-peptides suggests:
    - T-cells may be tolerized (deleted during development)
    - Lower likelihood of immune response

    Threshold 0.8 = 80% identity considered "self-like"
    '''
    def sequence_identity(seq1, seq2):
        if len(seq1) != len(seq2):
            return 0
        matches = sum(1 for a, b in zip(seq1, seq2) if a == b)
        return matches / len(seq1)

    max_similarity = 0
    most_similar = None

    for self_peptide in proteome_peptides:
        sim = sequence_identity(peptide, self_peptide)
        if sim > max_similarity:
            max_similarity = sim
            most_similar = self_peptide

    return {
        'similarity': max_similarity,
        'is_self_like': max_similarity >= threshold,
        'closest_self': most_similar
    }

Hydrophobicity at Position 2

python
def check_anchor_hydrophobicity(peptide):
    '''Check hydrophobicity at MHC anchor positions

    For HLA-A*02:01 and similar alleles:
    - Position 2: Prefers hydrophobic (L, I, V, M)
    - Position 9 (C-terminus): Prefers hydrophobic (L, V, I)

    Strong anchors improve binding stability.
    '''
    hydrophobic = set('LIVMFYW')

    pos2 = peptide[1] if len(peptide) > 1 else ''
    pos_last = peptide[-1]

    return {
        'pos2_hydrophobic': pos2 in hydrophobic,
        'pos_last_hydrophobic': pos_last in hydrophobic,
        'anchor_score': (pos2 in hydrophobic) + (pos_last in hydrophobic)
    }

Rank Epitopes

python
def rank_epitopes(epitope_df, top_n=20):
    '''Rank epitopes by immunogenicity

    Returns top candidates with scores and confidence tiers.

    Confidence tiers:
    - High: Top 5%, all factors favorable
    - Medium: Top 20%, most factors favorable
    - Low: Remaining, some factors favorable
    '''
    epitope_df = epitope_df.copy()

    # Calculate scores
    scores = []
    factor_scores = []
    for _, row in epitope_df.iterrows():
        total, factors = calculate_immunogenicity_score(row.to_dict())
        scores.append(total)
        factor_scores.append(factors)

    epitope_df['immunogenicity_score'] = scores
    factor_df = pd.DataFrame(factor_scores)

    # Combine
    result = pd.concat([epitope_df, factor_df], axis=1)

    # Rank
    result = result.sort_values('immunogenicity_score', ascending=False)

    # Assign tiers
    n = len(result)
    result['tier'] = 'low'
    result.iloc[:int(n * 0.20), result.columns.get_loc('tier')] = 'medium'
    result.iloc[:int(n * 0.05), result.columns.get_loc('tier')] = 'high'

    return result.head(top_n)

Compare Candidates

python
def compare_vaccine_candidates(candidates_df):
    '''Compare and select vaccine candidates

    Vaccine design typically selects:
    - Multiple epitopes (5-20)
    - Diverse HLA coverage
    - High immunogenicity scores
    - Non-overlapping sequences
    '''
    # Group by HLA coverage
    hla_coverage = candidates_df.groupby('allele').size()

    # Select diverse set
    selected = []
    used_positions = set()

    for _, candidate in candidates_df.iterrows():
        # Check for overlap with selected
        pos = candidate.get('position', 0)
        if not any(abs(pos - p) < 5 for p in used_positions):
            selected.append(candidate)
            used_positions.add(pos)

        if len(selected) >= 20:
            break

    return pd.DataFrame(selected)

Related Skills

  • immunoinformatics/mhc-binding-prediction - Binding affinity component
  • immunoinformatics/neoantigen-prediction - Input candidates
  • immunoinformatics/epitope-prediction - Epitope identification

Didn't find tool you were looking for?

Be as detailed as possible for better results