README.Rmd

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# RNAsum

`RNAsum` is an R package that can post-process, summarise and visualise
outputs primarily from [DRAGEN RNA][dragen-rna] pipelines.
Its main application is to complement whole-genome based findings and to provide additional evidence for detected
alterations.

[dragen-rna]: <https://sapac.illumina.com/products/by-type/informatics-products/basespace-sequence-hub/apps/edico-genome-inc-dragen-rna-pipeline.html>
[umccrise]: <https://github.com/umccr/umccrise>

**DOCS**: <https://umccr.github.io/RNAsum>

## Installation

- **R** package can be installed directly from the [GitHub source][rnasum-gh]:

[rnasum-gh]: <https://github.com/umccr/RNAsum>

```r
remotes::install_github("umccr/RNAsum") # latest main commit
remotes::install_github("umccr/RNAsum@v0.0.X") # version 0.0.X
remotes::install_github("umccr/RNAsum@abcde") # commit abcde
remotes::install_github("umccr/RNAsum#123") # PR 123
```

- **Conda** package is available from the Anaconda [umccr channel][conda]:

[conda]: <https://anaconda.org/umccr/r-rnasum>

```bash
conda install r-rnasum==0.0.X -c umccr -c conda-forge -c bioconda
```

- **Docker** image is available from the [GitHub Container Registy][ghcr]:

[ghcr]: <https://github.com/umccr/RNAsum/pkgs/container/rnasum>

```bash
docker pull ghcr.io/umccr/rnasum:latest
```

## Workflow

The pipeline consists of five main components illustrated and briefly
described below. For more details, see [workflow.md](./inst/articles/workflow.md).

<img src="man/figures/RNAsum_workflow_updated.png" width="100%">

1. Collect patient **WTS data** from the [DRAGEN RNA][dragen-rna] pipeline
   including per-gene read counts and gene fusions.
2. Add expression data from **[reference cohorts](#reference-data)** to
   get an idea about the expression levels of genes of interest in other cancer patient
   cohorts. The read counts are normalised, transformed and converted into a scale
   that allows to present the patient's expression measurements in the context of the
   reference cohorts.
3. Supply **genome-based findings** from whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data to
   focus on genes of interest and to provide additional evidence for
   dysregulation of mutated genes, or genes located within detected structural
   variants (SVs) or copy-number (CN) altered regions. `RNAsum` is designed to
   be compatible with WGS patient outputs generated from `umccrise`.
4. Collate results with knowledge derived from in-house resources and public
   databases to provide additional sources of evidence for clinical significance
   of altered genes e.g. to flag variants with clinical significance or
   potential druggable targets.
5. The final product is an interactive HTML report with searchable tables and
   plots presenting expression levels of the genes of interest. The report
   consists of several sections described [here](./inst/articles/report_structure.md).

## Reference data

The reference expression data are available for **33 cancer types** and were
derived from [external](#external-reference-cohorts)
([TCGA](https://tcga-data.nci.nih.gov/)) and [internal](#internal-reference-cohort)
([UMCCR](https://mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/centre-for-cancer-research/our-research/precision-oncology-research-group))
resources.

### External reference cohorts

In order to explore expression changes in the patient, we have built a
high-quality pancreatic cancer reference cohort.

Depending on the tissue from which the patient's sample was taken, one of
**33 cancer datasets** from TCGA can be used as a reference cohort for comparing
expression changes in genes of interest of the patient. Additionally, 10 samples
from each of the 33 TCGA datasets were combined to create the
**[Pan-Cancer dataset](./inst/articles/tcga_projects_summary.md#pan-cancer-dataset)**,
and for some cohorts **[extended sets](./inst/articles/tcga_projects_summary.md#extended-datasets)**
are also available. All available datasets are listed in the
**[TCGA projects summary table](./inst/articles/tcga_projects_summary.md)**. These datasets
have been processed using methods described in the
[TCGA-data-harmonization](https://github.com/umccr/TCGA-data-harmonization/blob/master/expression/README.md#gdc-counts-data)
repository. The dataset of interest can be specified by using one of the
TCGA project IDs for the `RNAsum` `--dataset` argument (see
[Examples](#examples)).

### Internal reference cohort

The publicly available TCGA datasets are expected to demonstrate prominent
[batch effects](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20838408) when compared to
the in-house WTS data due to differences in applied experimental procedures and
analytical pipelines. Moreover, TCGA data may include samples from tissue
material of lower quality and cellularity compared to samples processed using
local protocols. To address these issues, we have built a high-quality internal
reference cohort processed using the same pipelines as input data
(see [data pre-processing](./inst/articles/workflow.md#data-processing)).

This internal reference set of **40 pancreatic cancer samples** is based on WTS
data generated at **[UMCCR](https://research.unimelb.edu.au/centre-for-cancer-research/our-research/precision-oncology-research-group)**
and processed with the **bcbio-nextgen RNA-seq**
pipeline to minimise potential batch effects between investigated samples and
the reference cohort and to make sure the data are comparable. The internal
reference cohort assembly is summarised in the
[Pancreatic-data-harmonization](https://github.com/umccr/Pancreatic-data-harmonization/tree/master/expression/in-house)
repository.

**Note**

There are two rationales for using the internal reference cohort:

1. In case of **pancreatic cancer samples** this cohort is used:
   - in ***batch effects correction***
   - as a reference point for ***comparing per-gene expression levels***
     observed in the data of the patient of interest and data from other
     pancreatic cancer patients.

2. In case of samples from **any cancer type** the data from the internal
   reference cohort is used in the ***batch effects correction*** procedure
   performed to minimise technical-related variation in the data.

## Input data

`RNAsum` accepts [WTS](#wts) data processed by the state-of-the-art bioinformatic
tools such as kallisto and salmon for quantification and Arriba for fusion calling. 
RNAsum can aso process and combine fusion output from Illumina's Dragen pipeline.
Additionally, the WTS data can be integrated with [WGS](#wgs)-based data processed 
using the tools discussed in the section [WGS](#wgs). 

In the latter case, the genome-based findings from the
corresponding sample are incorporated into the report and are used as a
primary source for expression profile prioritisation.

### WTS

The only required WTS input data are **read counts** provided in a
quantification file.

#### RNA

The table below lists all input data accepted in `RNAsum`:

| Input file                             | Tool                                           | Example                                         | Required   |
| -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ---------- |
| Quantified transcript **abundances**   | [salmon][salmon] ([description][salmon-res])   | [*.quant.sf][salmon-ex]                         | **Yes**    |
| Quantified gene **abundances**         | [salmon][salmon] ([description][salmon-res])   | [*.quant.gene.sf][salmon-ex2]                   | **Yes**    |
| **Fusion gene** list                   | [Arriba][arriba]                               | [fusions.tsv][dragen-rna-ex]                    | No         |
| **Fusion gene** list                   | [DRAGEN RNA][dragen-rna]                       | [*.fusion_candidates.final][dragen-rna-ex]      | No         |

[salmon]: <https://salmon.readthedocs.io/en/latest/salmon.html>
[salmon-ex]: </inst/rawdata/test_data/dragen/TEST.quant.sf>
[salmon-ex2]: </inst/rawdata/test_data/dragen/TEST.quant.gene.sf>
[salmon-res]: <https://salmon.readthedocs.io/en/latest/file_formats.html#fileformats>
[arriba]: <https://arriba.readthedocs.io/en/latest/>
[arriba-res]: </inst/rawdata/test_data/final/test_sample_WTS/arriba/fusions.tsv>
[dragen-rna]: <https://sapac.illumina.com/products/by-type/informatics-products/basespace-sequence-hub/apps/edico-genome-inc-dragen-rna-pipeline.html>
[dragen-rna-ex]: </inst/rawdata/test_data/dragen/test_sample_WTS.fusion_candidates.final>


### WGS

`RNAsum` is designed to be compatible with WGS outputs.

The table below lists all input data accepted in `RNAsum`:

| Input file          | Tool             | Example                               | Required |
|---------------------|------------------|---------------------------------------|----------|
| **SNVs/Indels**     | [PCGR][pcgr]     | [pcgr.snvs_indels.tiers.tsv][pcgr-ex] | No       |
| **CNVs**            | [PURPLE][purple] | [purple.cnv.gene.tsv][purple-ex]      | No       |
| **SVs**             | [Manta][manta]   | [sv-prioritize-manta.tsv][manta-ex]   | No       |

[pcgr]: <https://github.com/sigven/pcgr>
[pcgr-ex]: </inst/rawdata/test_data/umccrised/test_sample_WGS/small_variants/pcgr.snvs_indels.tiers.tsv>
[purple]: <https://github.com/hartwigmedical/hmftools/tree/master/purple>
[purple-ex]: </inst/rawdata/test_data/umccrised/test_sample_WGS/purple/purple.gene.cnv>
[manta]: <https://github.com/Illumina/manta>
[manta-ex]: </inst/rawdata/test_data/umccrised/test_sample_WGS/structural/sv-prioritize-manta.tsv>

## Usage

```{bash echo=TRUE, eval=FALSE}
rnasum_cli=$(Rscript -e 'x = system.file("cli", package = "RNAsum"); cat(x, "\n")' | xargs)
export PATH="${rnasum_cli}:${PATH}"
```

```{bash echo=FALSE}
rnasum_cli=$(Rscript -e 'x = system.file("cli", package = "RNAsum"); cat(x, "\n")' | xargs)
export PATH="${rnasum_cli}:${PATH}"

echo "$ rnasum.R --version"
rnasum.R --version
echo ""
echo "$ rnasum.R --help"
rnasum.R --help
echo ""
```

**Note**

Human reference genome
***[GRCh38](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/assembly/GCF_000001405.39)***
(*Ensembl* based annotation version ***105***) is used for gene annotation by
default. GRCh37 is no longer supported.

### Examples

Below are `RNAsum` CLI commands for generating HTML reports under different
data availability scenarios:


1. [WTS and WGS data](#1-wts-and-wgs-data)
2. [WTS data only](#2-wts-data-only)
3. [WTS WGS and clinical data](#3-wts-wgs-and-clinical-data)

**Note**

* Example data is provided in the `/inst/rawdata/test_data` folder of the GitHub
  [repo][rnasum-gh].
* The `RNAsum` runtime should be less than **15 minutes** using **16GB RAM**
  memory and **1 CPU**.

#### 1. WTS and WGS data

This is the **most frequent and preferred case**, in which the
[WGS](#wgs)-based findings will be used as a primary source for expression
profile prioritisation. The genome-based results can be incorporated into the
report by specifying the location of the corresponding
output files (including results from `PCGR`, `PURPLE`, and `Manta`). 
The **`Mutated genes`**, **`Structural variants`** and **`CN altered genes`** report sections will
contain information about expression levels of the mutated genes,
genes located within detected SVs and CN altered regions, respectively.
The results in the **`Fusion genes`** section will be ordered based on the
evidence from genome-based data. A subset of the TCGA pancreatic
adenocarcinoma dataset is used as reference cohort (`--dataset TEST `).

```bash
rnasum.R \
  --sample_name test_sample_WTS \
  --dataset TEST \
  --dragen_wts_dir inst/rawdata/test_data/dragen \
  --report_dir inst/rawdata/test_data/dragen/RNAsum \
  --umccrise inst/rawdata/test_data/umccrised/test_sample_WGS \
  --save_tables FALSE
```

The HTML report `test_sample_WTS.RNAsum.html` will be created in the
`inst/rawdata/test_data/dragen/RNAsum` folder.

#### 2. WTS data only

In this scenario, only [WTS](#wts) data will be used and only expression levels
of key **[`Cancer genes`](https://github.com/umccr/umccrise/blob/master/workflow.md#key-cancer-genes)**,
**`Fusion genes`**, **`Immune markers`** and homologous recombination deficiency
genes (**`HRD genes`**) will be reported. Moreover, gene fusions reported in
the `Fusion genes` report section will not contain information about evidence
from genome-based data. A subset of the TCGA pancreatic adenocarcinoma dataset
is used as the reference cohort (`--dataset TEST`).

```bash
rnasum.R \
  --sample_name test_sample_WTS \
  --dataset TEST \
  --dragen_wts_dir inst/rawdata/test_data/dragen \
  --report_dir inst/rawdata/test_data/dragen/RNAsum \
  --save_tables FALSE
```

The output HTML report `test_sample_WTS.RNAsum.html` will be created in the
`inst/rawdata/test_data/dragen/RNAsum` folder.

#### 3. WTS WGS and clinical data

For samples derived from subjects, for which clinical information is available,
a treatment regimen timeline can be added to the HTML report. This can be added
by specifying the location of a relevant excel spreadsheet (see example
`test_clinical_data.xlsx` under `inst/rawdata/test_data/test_clinical_data.xlsx`) using the
`--clinical_info` argument. In this spreadsheet, at least one of the following
columns is expected: `NEOADJUVANT REGIMEN`, `ADJUVANT REGIMEN`,
`FIRST LINE REGIMEN`, `SECOND LINE REGIMEN` or `THIRD LINE REGIMEN`,
along with `START` and `STOP` dates of corresponding treatments.
A subset of the TCGA pancreatic adenocarcinoma dataset is used as the reference
cohort (`--dataset TEST `).

```bash
rnasum.R \
  --sample_name test_sample_WTS \
  --dataset TEST \
  --dragen_wts_dir $(pwd)/../rawdata/test_data/dragen \
  --report_dir $(pwd)/../rawdata/test_data/dragen/RNAsum \
  --umccrise $(pwd)/../rawdata/test_data/umccrised/test_sample_WGS \
  --save_tables FALSE \
  --clinical_info $(pwd)/../rawdata/test_data/test_clinical_data.xlsx \
  --save_tables FALSE
```

The HTML report `test_sample_WTS.RNAsum.html` will be created in the
`../rawdata/test_data/stratus/test_sample_WTS_dragen_v3.9.3/RNAsum` folder.

### Output

The pipeline generates a HTML ***Patient Transcriptome Summary***
**[report](#report)** and a [results](#results) folder:

```text
|
|____<output>
  |____<SampleName>.<output>.html
  |____results
    |____exprTables
    |____glanceExprPlots
    |____...
```

#### Report

The generated HTML report includes searchable tables and interactive plots
presenting expression levels of altered genes, as well as links to public
resources describing the genes of interest. The report consists of several
sections, including:

* Input data
* Clinical information\*
* Findings summary
* Mutated genes\*\*
* Fusion genes
* Structural variants\*\*
* CN altered genes\*\*
* Immune markers
* HRD genes
* Cancer genes
* Drug matching

\* if clinical information is available; see `--clinical_info` argument <br />
\*\* if genome-based results are available; see `--umccrise` argument

Detailed description of the report structure, including result prioritisation
and visualisation is available [here](./inst/articles/report_structure.md).

#### Results

The `results` folder contains intermediate files, including plots and tables
that are presented in the HTML report.

#### Code of Conduct

The code of conduct can be accessed [here](./CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).

#### Citation

To cite package ‘RNAsum’ in publications use:

  > Kanwal S, Marzec J, Diakumis P, Hofmann O, Grimmond S (2024). “RNAsum: An R
  package to comprehensively post-process, summarise and visualise genomics and
  transcriptomics data.” version 1.1.0, <https://umccr.github.io/RNAsum/>.

A BibTeX entry for LaTeX users is

```
  @Unpublished{,
    title = {RNAsum: An R package to comprehensively post-process, summarise and visualise genomics and transcriptomics data},
    author = {Sehrish Kanwal and Jacek Marzec and Peter Diakumis and Oliver Hofmann and Sean Grimmond},
    year = {2024},
    note = {version 1.1.0},
    url = {https://umccr.github.io/RNAsum/},
  }
```