Scalable Prediction of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Using High-Dimensional Machine Learning and Blood Transcriptomics.
The main results reproduced: recomputed values matched the published ones within tolerance.
Every item that counted toward this verdict, and the exact part of the reproduction that produced it.
- ✓Same input data as the authors
- ✓Reported values were directly comparable
- ✓No relevant deviation in data/preprocessing
- ✓No authors-side cause for any deviation
- ✓Reported values are derivable from the shared data
- ✓Any deviation was negligible
- ✓The central claim held under reproduction
- ✓Overall, the reproduction was clean
- Every checked point held up.
A 0–100 reproducibility-quality score from the per-question grades, shown as a z-score: standard deviations above (+) or below (−) the mean of comparable assessments.
▸Reproduction agent’s raw note
Described well enough to reproduce 1:1. The paper's computational pipeline (9 classifiers x AUC/ACC/SENS/SPEC across random/cross-study/cross-platform regimes) is described in Methods and shipped as runnable R in github.com/schultzelab/aml_classifer @fad8410, with all per-run numbers in results/results_summary.txt. The model-input compendium Datasets.RData is NOT in the repo or in GEO GSE122517 (which only holds the Bonn sub-cohorts) -- it ships only inside the authors' docker image schultzelab/aml_classifier:0.1; I stream-extracted it from the registry data layer without docker. I reproduced the one deterministic regime (cross-platform rank, train Dataset2 8348 samples -> test Dataset3 1181 samples, perm=1, full size = the Fig 4E full-size point), running the repo's own classify() on the repo's own data. RESULT = 1:1: SVM_radial reproduced all 6 measures to machine precision (AUC/ACC/SENS/SPEC/train.error/test.error, abs diff <=4e-16); SVM_linear AUC and train.error exact (2e-16) with its three threshold-dependent metrics (ACC/SENS/SPEC) off by <0.25%, fully explained by libsvm's unseeded Platt-probability CV (the rank-based AUC is invariant to it). No fabrication indicator: every value is derivable from the shipped data+code and lands on the reported number. Speed note: classify()'s svm(cross=10) was patched to cross=0 -- that CV accuracy is never read, so results are provably identical, ~10x faster. NOT ATTEMPTED (out of scope / the hard 20%): the random-sampling & cross-study figure points (each a mean over nperm=100 random draws -> not bit-reproducible, ~100x compute); LASSO & randomForest rows (unseeded cv.glmnet folds / RF -> not bit-reproducible); the neural-network (keras) analysis; Fig 5B DE/LASSO gene-frequency table. SVM_polynomial & SVM_sigmoid kernels (also deterministic, same regime) were still computing on «job» at finalize and are not required for the verdict. Minor shipped-code gap flagged: permute_ts_vs_crossplatform() is referenced in Calculations.Rmd but absent from functions.R; at full size it is identical to the shipped crossplatform(rank=T), which is what we ran.
These records describe the outcome of reproduction attempts carried out autonomously by brainbox using large language models (LLMs). They are not peer review, not an audit, and not a determination of error or misconduct by any author. A verdict reflects what one attempt could or could not reproduce — which may depend on data access, undocumented parameters, the computing environment, or the depth of effort — and not a judgement of the people who did the work. We can be wrong, and we correct mistakes quickly: every record carries a “report an error” button.
Assessment versions
Every reproduction run is kept as an immutable version — anchored to the data as it stood, with a tamper-evident chain hash. A rerun (e.g. after an author updates a deposit) adds a new version; the previous one stays on record.
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v1 current initial assessment Score 96assessed: 2026-06-15 ⛓ efc4d79a6044
✎ I am an author of this paper
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Provenance — full disclosure
When this reproduction was carried out, which methodology version was used, and by whom — so the record can be audited and checked independently.
- Reproduced
- 2026-06-15
- Rubric version
- v1.0
- Assessed by
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🤖 AI curator · claude (ai-curator room) · v1.0 · run #1 2026-06-15no human curator yet
- Last updated
- 2026-08-05
Provisional, curator- or AI-assessed, and independently checkable. A reproduction outcome states what one attempt could reproduce — not a judgement of the authors.
Deep full-text extraction
Model: opusThe authors test whether high-dimensional machine learning applied to genome-wide blood transcriptomic data can predict acute myeloid leukemia (AML) status in a near-automated, scalable manner—matching human expert annotation without prior gene selection.
- ★ Data-driven, high-dimensional ML approaches that learn multivariate signatures directly from genome-wide transcriptomic data (no prior gene selection) yield accurate and robust AML classifiers. finding
- ★ ML-based AML prediction is highly scalable with low marginal cost and can essentially match human expert annotation in a near-automated workflow. finding
- ★ Classification accuracy increases with training dataset size, including in the harder cross-study and differential-diagnosis settings. finding
- ★ Effective classifiers can be transferred across entirely disjoint studies and even across transcriptomic platforms (cross-study/cross-technology). finding
- ★ The l1-regularized logistic regression (lasso) is the preferred predictive tool due to interpretability via explicit variable selection, performing comparably to deep neural networks. method
- ★ Assembly of the largest reference blood GEP dataset for AML to date (105 studies, 12,029 samples across three platforms) as a resource for classifier development. resource
- AML subtype M3 (acute promyelocytic leukemia) can be distinguished from non-M3 AML with high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. finding
- Predictive gains at high training sample sizes are relevant for positive predictive value (PPV) in low-prevalence settings. finding
| Assay | System | Perturbation | Readout | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gene expression microarray (Affymetrix HG-U133A) | Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and bone marrow samples | none | Genome-wide gene expression used for AML vs non-AML classification (dataset 1) | Affymetrix HG-U133A microarray; RMA normalization (R package affy) |
| Gene expression microarray (Affymetrix HG-U133 2.0) | Human PBMC and bone marrow samples | none | Genome-wide gene expression for AML classification (dataset 2, largest dataset) | Affymetrix HG-U133 2.0 microarray; RMA normalization (R package affy) |
| Bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) | Human PBMC and bone marrow samples | none | Genome-wide expression for AML classification (dataset 3) | Illumina RNA-seq; DESeq2 normalization (R package DESeq2) |
| Machine learning classification (lasso / l1-regularized logistic regression) | Datasets 1, 2, 3 (12,708 annotated genes) | none | Held-out accuracy, sensitivity, specificity for AML vs control and differential diagnosis | — |
| Deep neural network classification (5 or 10 layers) | Dataset 2 (HG-U133 2.0) | none | Classification accuracy compared to lasso | — |
| Comparative ML benchmarking (nine classification methods incl. kNN, linear SVM, LDA, random forests) | Datasets 1, 2, 3 | none | Sensitivity and specificity of AML prediction across algorithms | — |
| Cross-study / cross-platform classification with addon RMA normalization | Disjoint training/test studies (dataset 1 split) | none | Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity under strictly disjoint study sampling | R package bapred (addon RMA normalization) |
| AML subtype (M3/APL) classification | Dataset 2, ~one-third AML-M3 cases per subset | none | Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity for M3 vs non-M3 AML | — |
- – Final curated dataset comprised 105 studies with 12,029 samples (4,145 AML, 7,884 non-AML) 12,029 samples; 105 studies
- ▲ AML prediction is highly effective even with small training sample size, with accuracy still increasing as n_train increases
- – Differential-diagnosis setting (controls only other leukemias) gave similar prediction accuracy to non-leukemic controls
- ▲ In cross-study sampling, performance was worse than random sampling but caught up to near-random with only a small gap at largest n_train in dataset 2
- – Deep neural networks (5 or 10 layers) provided similar prediction performance to the lasso on dataset 2
- ▲ Increasing n_train doubled PPV from ~20% to ~40% at an assumed 1% prevalence (dataset 2 setting) ~20% to ~40% (doubling)
- – No particular AML FAB subtype dominated classification accuracy in datasets 1 or 2
- ▲ AML-M3 distinguished from non-M3 AML with high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity
- count 12,029 samples (Total samples across 105 studies in the assembled GEP dataset)
- count 105 studies (Number of individual GEO studies included after filtering)
- count 4,145 AML samples (AML cases in the dataset)
- count 7,884 non-AML samples (Controls: healthy (n=904), ALL (3,466), CML (162), CLL (770), MDS (267), other non-leukemic (2,312))
- count 2,500 / 8,348 / 1,181 (Samples per platform: HG-U133A (dataset 1), HG-U133 2.0 (dataset 2), RNA-seq (dataset 3))
- count 12,708 genes (Genes annotated across all datasets; data trimmed to these, no low-expression filtering)
- other PPV ~20% to ~40% at 1% prevalence (Doubling of positive predictive value from lowest to highest n_train (dataset 2))
- count 616 / 1,269 FAB-annotated samples; 100 train/test repeats; 20% test set (FAB classification available for 616 (dataset 1) and 1,269 (dataset 2) samples; random sampling repeated 100 times with 20% held-out test set)
Statistical methods review
Model: opusA neutral, descriptive read of the statistical approach — what was done, and (for shared learning, not as criticism) what could also have been done.
The paper presents a predictive-modeling (supervised machine learning) study rather than a classical hypothesis-testing study. Using transcriptomic data from 12,029 samples across 105 studies, classifiers (primarily L1-regularized logistic regression, the lasso) were trained to distinguish AML from non-AML samples. Performance was estimated by held-out accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity over 100 random train/test splits (20% test), reported as mean values with standard deviation error bars across learning curves, and additionally evaluated under strict cross-study (disjoint-study) sampling and across platforms.
| Test | Applied to | n | Assumptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1-regularized logistic regression (lasso) classifier — evaluated by held-out accuracy, sensitivity, specificity | AML vs non-AML and differential-diagnosis (AML vs other leukemias) classification across datasets 1-3 (Figures 2B-2F) | learning curves over varying n_train; 20% held-out test set; 100 repeated random splits; total 12,029 samples (4,145 AML, 7,884 non-AML) | not stated |
| Nine additional classification algorithms (incl. k-nearest neighbors, linear SVM, linear discriminant analysis, random forests) | comparative classification performance (Figures S3-S8, Table S4) | — | not stated |
| Deep neural network classifier (5 or 10 layers) | comparison with lasso on dataset 2 (Figure 2G) | — | not stated |
| Positive predictive value computed from sensitivity/specificity under assumed prevalence (0.1%, 1%, 5%) | diagnostic utility analysis (Figure 3) | as a function of n_train, setting of Figure 2C | na |
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Predictive performance was summarized by mean accuracy/sensitivity/specificity with standard-deviation error bars over 100 random splits.↳ Could also: Reporting 95% confidence intervals for the performance metrics, and/or AUROC/AUPRC with their intervals, alongside the means. — Confidence intervals and area-under-curve summaries convey uncertainty and threshold-independent performance, which can complement point estimates and SD, especially for class-imbalanced diagnostic settings.
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Generalization was estimated using repeated random train/test splits (and a strict cross-study split).↳ Could also: k-fold or grouped (study-stratified) cross-validation, or nested cross-validation for any hyperparameter tuning. — Nested or grouped CV gives an additional, systematically structured estimate of out-of-sample error and guards against optimistic bias when model selection is involved; the paper's strict cross-study design already moves in this direction.
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Classifiers were compared (lasso, neural networks, and nine algorithms) primarily via plotted performance curves.↳ Could also: Paired statistical comparison of model performance across the same splits (e.g., paired test or a Bayesian/permutation comparison of CV scores) with multiplicity control. — A paired comparison across identical splits quantifies whether observed differences between models exceed split-to-split variability, adding an inferential layer to the descriptive curves.
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PPV was computed at assumed fixed prevalences (0.1%, 1%, 5%).↳ Could also: Propagating uncertainty in sensitivity/specificity into interval estimates for PPV across a continuous prevalence range (decision-curve or calibration analysis). — Interval estimates and calibration/decision-curve analyses convey how confident the PPV estimate is and how it behaves across the full plausible prevalence range, supporting clinical interpretation.
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Microarray and RNA-seq data were normalized with platform-specific pipelines (affy/RMA, DESeq2) without explicit batch-effect removal.↳ Could also: Optionally reporting results with batch-correction tools (ComBat, SVA, RUV) as a sensitivity analysis. — A side-by-side sensitivity analysis would show how robust conclusions are to unwanted variation; the authors deliberately omitted correction to provide a conservative bound, which is itself a valid descriptive choice.
Result convergence & founder nodes
Findings this paper shares with others that ran a comparable experiment. A node’s strength is how many independent papers report it (replication breadth) — not how often it is cited, so a heavily-replicated but under-cited founder still stands out.
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AML classifier cross-study performance approaches within-study performance as training set size increases, with only a small residual gapmicroarray human blood up 2019×1papers★ This paper is the founder (earliest)
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AML prediction accuracy is similar when controls are restricted to other leukemias versus non-leukemic controlsmicroarray human blood none 2019×1papers★ This paper is the founder (earliest)
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Deep neural networks (5–10 layers) achieve similar AML classification performance to lasso logistic regression on blood transcriptomicsmicroarray human blood none 2019×1papers★ This paper is the founder (earliest)
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No individual AML FAB subtype dominates overall classification accuracy in blood transcriptomics datasetsmicroarray human blood none 2019×1papers★ This paper is the founder (earliest)
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AML-M3 (APL) is distinguished from non-M3 AML with high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity using blood transcriptomicsmicroarray human blood up 2019×1papers★ This paper is the founder (earliest)
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AML positive predictive value doubles from ~20% to ~40% as training sample size increases at 1% disease prevalencemicroarray human blood up 2019×1papers★ This paper is the founder (earliest)
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AML classification accuracy from blood transcriptomics increases with training sample size, remaining high even at small nmicroarray human blood up 2019×1papers★ This paper is the founder (earliest)
Citation network
Where this publication sits in the reproducibility-weighted citation graph — what it is built on, and what is built on it. Citation data from OpenAlex.
No assessed neighbours yet — the network grows as more papers are assessed.
What was reproduced
The exact results taken into scope, with each reported value next to the value our attempt produced.
Scope — pmid-31918046
Paper: Warnat-Herresthal S et al. Scalable Prediction of Acute Myeloid
Leukemia Using High-Dimensional Machine Learning and Blood Transcriptomics.
iScience 2020 (online 2019-12-18). PMID 31918046 · PMC6992905 ·
DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2019.100780.
Code: github.com/schultzelab/aml_classifer @ fad8410f8efefb9cedbdb30146806497c2459c16
(master, last push 2020-07-10).
Data: GEO SuperSeries GSE122517 ("Bonn Datasets of meta-analysis on AML
classification"). The actual model-input compendium (three harmonized expression
matrices data.1/2/3 + metadata info.1/2/3) ships as Datasets.RData inside
the authors' Docker image schultzelab/aml_classifier:0.1 (data layer
sha256:55bbfcc9…). That RData — not the raw GEO series — is what the published
scripts load, so it is the faithful reproduction input.
What the paper does (pipeline)
Trains 9 supervised classifiers (4 SVM kernels, PAM, LDA, KNN, LASSO, random
forest) on whole-blood transcriptomes to separate AML (CASE) from non-leukemia
(CONTROL). Three evaluation regimes (functions in calculations/functions.R):
- random-sampling — random train/test draws within one platform, averaged
over
npermpermutations. - cross-study-sampling — leave-studies-out within a platform.
- cross-platform-sampling — train on one platform's data, test on another's
(raw or rank-inverse-normal transformed),
permute_ts_vs_crossplatform.
Per run, classify() outputs AUC, train.error, test.error, SENS, SPEC, ACC.
All per-run numbers are collected in the shipped results/results_summary.txt
(36 MB), which the figures/Figures.Rmd aggregates into Fig 2/4/5.
In scope (pipeline-derived, attempted)
Cross-platform-sampling, rank, dataset "2_3", perm = 1, full size
(train on all of Dataset 2, test on all of Dataset 3; all 12 708 genes) — the
first rows of results_summary.txt and the full-size point of Fig 4E.
This is the one regime that is deterministic and 1:1-reproducible: the
sampling uses set.seed(j) with j = 1 and the train/test sets are the full
datasets, so there is no averaging over permutations.
Within it we reproduce the deterministic classifiers whose algorithms carry
no un-seeded randomness:
- SVM_linear, SVM_radial, SVM_polynomial, SVM_sigmoid (libsvm, deterministic).
Reported targets (from results_summary.txt):
| classifier | AUC | ACC | SENS | SPEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SVM_linear | 0.996531 | 0.950889 | 0.991266 | 0.925311 |
| SVM_radial | 0.997087 | 0.955970 | 0.997817 | 0.929461 |
| SVM_polynomial | 0.989058 | — | — | — |
Out of scope / not attempted (the hard last 20%)
- random-sampling & cross-study figures — each point is a mean over
nperm = 100permutations of random subsampling; reproducing them 1:1 needs 100× the compute and still only matches in distribution, not value. Skipped. - LASSO & random forest rows —
cv.glmnetfold assignment andrandomForestare not seeded in the repo, so their exact stored values are not bit-reproducible; we may run them for ballpark only. - Neural network (
neuralnet.R, keras/tensorflow) — separate heavy stack. - Fig 5B DE/LASSO gene-frequency table — derives from the full 100-perm runs.
- Wet-lab / sequencing generation of the Bonn cohorts (GSE122505/122511/122515).
Known reproducibility gap (flagged for audit)
permute_ts_vs_crossplatform() — the function the rank cross-platform results
were produced with — is referenced in Calculations.Rmd but absent from
functions.R. For the full-size case it is mathematically identical to the
shipped crossplatform(rank=T) (rank-inverse-normal on the full data, then a
seeded permutation that the code re-sorts away), which we replicate exactly
bug-for-bug. Noted as a minor shipped-code gap, not a blocker.
Assessments & scoring basis
Each contributor’s verdict, the per-question basis, and the auditable, itemised worksheet behind it.
An automated assessment. It can flag an open question for review but can never, on its own, record a discrepancy verdict (C5) against a paper.
Every item that counted toward this verdict, and the exact part of the reproduction that produced it.
For the targeted deterministic regime (Fig 4E full-size cross-platform point), this is effectively a 1:1 reproduction: 8 of 11 graded measures match the authors' shipped results_summary.txt to machine precision (≤5e-16, including SVM_radial ACC with abs diff 0), and the 3 SVM_linear threshold metrics differ by <0.25%, fully explained by libsvm's unseeded Platt-probability calibration — a technical/expected cause on neither the authors' nor our methodological side. Every value is derivable from the shipped code+data, with no fabrication indicator. Two honest caveats, neither a defect: the exact input data lives only in the authors' docker image (not the cited GEO accession), and only the deterministic regime was reproduced (the 100-perm means, LASSO/RF/keras were out of scope and not bit-reproducible by design).
Automated reproduction checks whether a published result can be regenerated from the paper’s described methods and shared data. When something does not reproduce, that is not a claim of error or misconduct — most often it reflects under-described methods, software or environment differences, or gaps in data access, and some of the pre-print papers in the queue may carry issues their authors had no part in. The goal is shared awareness that rigorous, fully-described methods help everyone — never a judgement of any author.
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Reproduction footprint
claude-opus-4-8Measured resources invested to assess this paper — sanitised (machine class only, no job ids/paths). Compute = HPC accounting (SLURM); tokens = the AI agent's session.