Machine Learning Made Easy (MLme): A Comprehensive Toolkit for Machine Learning-Driven Data Analysis

Background

Machine learning (ML) has emerged as a vital asset for researchers to analyze and extract valuable information from complex datasets. However, developing an effective and robust ML pipeline can present a real challenge, demanding considerable time and effort, thereby impeding research progress. Existing tools in this landscape require a profound understanding of ML principles and programming skills. Furthermore, users are required to engage in the comprehensive configuration of their ML pipeline to obtain optimal performance.

Results

To address these challenges, we have developed a novel tool calledMachine Learning Made Easy(MLme) that streamlines the use of ML in research, specifically focusing on classification problems at present. By integrating four essential functionalities, namely Data Exploration, AutoML, CustomML, and Visualization, MLme fulfills the diverse requirements of researchers while eliminating the need for extensive coding efforts. To demonstrate the applicability of MLme, we conducted rigorous testing on six distinct datasets, each presenting unique characteristics and challenges. Our results consistently showed promising performance across different datasets, reaffirming the versatility and effectiveness of the tool. Additionally, by utilizing MLme’s feature selection functionality, we successfully identified significant markers for CD8+ naive (BACH2), CD16+ (CD16), and CD14+ (VCAN) cell populations.

Conclusion

MLme serves as a valuable resource for leveraging machine learning (ML) to facilitate insightful data analysis and enhance research outcomes, while alleviating concerns related to complex coding scripts. The source code and a detailed tutorial for MLme are available at<ext-link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://github.com/FunctionalUrology/MLme">https://github.com/FunctionalUrology/MLme</ext-link>.

Key Points

• MLme is a novel tool that simplifies machine learning (ML) for researchers by integrating Data Exploration, AutoML, CustomML, and Visualization functionalities.

• MLme improves efficiency and productivity by streamlining the ML workflow and eliminating the need for extensive coding efforts.

• Rigorous testing on diverse datasets demonstrates MLme’s promising performance in classification problems.

• MLme provides intuitive interfaces for data exploration, automated ML, customizable ML pipelines, and result visualization.

• Future developments aim to expand MLme’s capabilities to include support for unsupervised learning, regression, hyperparameter tuning, and integration of user-defined algorithms.