Séminaire SIMBA : Kernel-based testing for single-cell omics

Date/heure
11 décembre 2025
14:00 - 15:00

Lieu
Salle de conférences Nancy

Oratrice ou orateur
Polina Arsenteva (ENS Lyon)

Catégorie d'évènement
Séminaire Probabilités et Statistique


Résumé

Single-cell data yield profound insight into the complex nature of molecular feature distributions. However, they also pose statistical analysis challenges. A key challenge is the intricate geometry of these distributions, which requires non-linear analysis methods. We propose a kernel-based framework for comparing conditions in single-cell experiments that allows non-linear comparisons of different cell populations. In this talk, I will explain how embedding the data in an infinite-dimensional reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) facilitates non-linear operations on the data via linear operations in the feature space. I will present a linear model in the RKHS and introduce a truncated kernel Hotelling-Lawley statistic with an associated kernel trick. This statistic has been shown to have an asymptotic chi-squared distribution, which allows to quantify the significance of the test results. The functionality and flexibility of the proposed approach will be demonstrated on scRNA-Seq data obtained in the context of cerebral arteries profiling. The goal of this analysis is to gain insight into the appearance of intracranial aneurysms.