Workflow for Evaluating Normalization Tools for Omics Data Using Supervised and Unsupervised Machine Learning
Open accessAbstract
To achieve high quality omics results, systematic variability in mass spectrometry (MS) data must be adequately addressed. Effective data normalization is essential for minimizing this variability. The abundance of approaches and the data-dependent nature of normalization have led some researchers to develop open-source academic software for choosing the best approach. While these tools are certainly beneficial to the community, none of them meet all of the needs of all users, particularly users who want to test new strategies that are not available in these products. Herein, we present a simple and straightforward workflow that facilitates the identification of optimal normalization strategies using straightforward evaluation metrics, employing both supervised and unsupervised machine learning. The workflow offers a "DIY" aspect, where the performance of any normalization strategy can be evaluated for any type of MS data. As a demonstration of its utility, we apply this workflow on two distinct datasets, an ESI-MS dataset of extracted lipids from latent fingerprints and a cancer spheroid dataset of metabolites ionized by MALDI-MSI, for which we identified the best-performing normalization strategies.
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Multi-omics datasets are often generated through diverse experimental protocols and platforms, resulting in considerable variability in data quality, formats, scales, and batch-related artifacts.
“These datasets are often generated through diverse experimental protocols and platforms, resulting in considerable variability in data quality, formats, scales, and batch-related artifacts406.”
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- Authors
- Chua, A. E., Pfeifer, L. D., Sekera, E. R., Hummon, A. B., & Desaire, H.
- Affiliations
- University of Kansas (US)
- The Ohio State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Desaire, Heather
- Venue
- Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2023-10-28
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 2775-2784
- ISSN
- 1044-0305 (ISSN-L)
- 1879-1123
- PMC
- PMC10919320
- OpenAlex
- W4388007331
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 3
- FWCI
- 1.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Division of Chemistry (CHE-1950293)
- National Institute on Aging (RF1AG072760)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Spectroscopy › Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Spectroscopy › Advanced Proteomics Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- omics data, workflow, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, evaluation metrics, MALDI mass spectrometry imaging, tumor spheroids, metabolomics
- MeSH terms
- Unsupervised Machine Learning, Humans, Neoplasms, Software, Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization, Workflow
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