immunogram

immunogram converts bulk RNA-Seq data into quantitative immunogram scores that profile ten immune-related molecular programs to characterize tumor–immune interactions for biomarker-driven and cohort-level analyses.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive framework: Captures a wide array of immunological variables to provide a holistic view of immune interactions within the tumor microenvironment.
• Molecular profiles: Profiles ten distinct molecular programs: Innate immunity; Priming and activation; T cell response; Interferon γ (IFNG) response; Inhibitory molecules; Regulatory T cells; Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs); Recognition of tumor cells; Proliferation; and Glycolysis.
• Scoring methodology: Converts transcriptomic data to immunogram scores using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) applied to 9,417 bulk RNA-Seq samples from 9,362 cancer patients across 29 solid cancers in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).
• Normalization and scoring: ssGSEA enrichment scores are z-score normalized per cancer type or across the entire TCGA cohort and transformed to an immunogram score (IGS) by IGS = 3 + 1.5 × Z, yielding patient scores ranging from 1 to 5.

Scientific Applications:

• Predictive analysis: Integrates multiple immune-related biomarkers into immunogram scores to support prediction of individualized responses to cancer therapies.
• Monitoring treatment efficacy: Enables comparison of immune-related program scores to assess effects of combination therapies and to investigate mechanisms of treatment resistance.
• Resource for cohort analyses: Provides cohort-level immunogram profiles for TCGA patients to facilitate comparative and validation studies across 29 solid cancers.

Methodology:

Transcriptomic data were analyzed with single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) to derive enrichment scores for the ten molecular profiles in 9,417 bulk RNA-Seq samples from 9,362 TCGA cancer patients across 29 solid cancers; enrichment scores were z-score normalized per cancer type or across the TCGA cohort and converted to immunogram scores using IGS = 3 + 1.5 × Z.