Neural Network Models for Sequence-Based TCR and HLA Association Prediction

T cells rely on their T cell receptors (TCRs) to recognize foreign antigens presented by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) proteins. TCRs contain a record of an individual’s past immune activities, and some TCRs are observed only in individuals with certain HLA alleles. As a result, characterising TCRs requires a thorough understanding of TCR-HLA associations. To this end, we propose a neural network method named Deep learning Prediction of TCR-HLA association (DePTH) to predict TCR-HLA associations based on their amino acid sequences. We show that the DePTH can be used to quantify the functional similarities of HLA alleles, and that these HLA similarities are associated with the survival outcomes of cancer patients who received immune checkpoint blockade treatment.