Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42465380›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2026

Synthesizing Mechanistic Hypotheses from Single-Cell Omics via Discretized Feature Attribution and Empirical Language Model Grounding.

Jerry C C Chen, Yunqi Hong, Alexandra Bermudez, Jimmy K Hu, Cho-Jui Hsieh, Neil Y C Lin

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jerry C C ChenBioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Yunqi HongComputer Science, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Alexandra BermudezSchool of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Jimmy K HuSchool of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1035-0779
Cho-Jui HsiehComputer Science, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Neil Y C LinBioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Funding

AI-Informed Signaling Factor Design for In Vitro Rejuvenating Mesenchymal Stromal CellsR35GM146735 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Neil Lin · 2022 to 2026
$2.3M
NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM146735
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Single-cell multimodal omics offer unprecedented resolution of cellular networks, yet translating continuous computational attributions into structured, testable biological mechanisms remains a persistent bottleneck. To address this limitation, we introduce an analytical pipeline employing decision trees to discretize continuous neural network attributions into explicit regulatory thresholds. These boundaries then structurally constrain large language models, enabling them to integrate established literature with empirical data to synthesize context-specific hypotheses. Applying this continuous-to-discrete framework across sparse datasets yielded novel biological mechanisms. Specifically, the framework articulated a cytoskeletal gating hierarchy governing EGF-stimulated pathways, identified transcriptomic drivers of input resistance in cortical interneurons, and delineated translational logic predicting Ki-67 abundance within spatial transcriptomics. Retrospective benchmarking validated the framework's capacity to autonomously reconstruct published regulatory logic. Supported by a locally deployable open-weight language model and a code-free interface, this approach establishes an auditable methodology to extract robust experimental hypotheses from high-dimensional single-cell data.

Identifiers

PMID42465380
PMCPMC13370389

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.