DAG-HEART: Directed Acyclic Graph-Guided Health Equity-Aware Representation Transfer Learning Framework for Breast Cancer

Baek, M.; Wang, J.; Wan, S.

doi:10.64898/2026.08.31.748384

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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.08.31.748384

DAG-HEART: Directed Acyclic Graph-Guided Health Equity-Aware Representation Transfer Learning Framework for Breast Cancer

Baek, M.·Wang, J.·Wan, S.

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Abstract

Breast cancer outcome prediction remains challenging for underrepresented populations because genomic datasets are demographically imbalanced and conventional multi-omics integration largely relies on undirected molecular similarity. We developed DAG-HEART, a directed acyclic graph-guided multi-omics transfer-learning framework that extends our previous transfer learning strategy with data augmentation. Using TCGA-BRCA mRNA, miRNA, and DNA-methylation data, DAG-HEART was evaluated for progression-free interval prediction in a data-minority group. DAG-guided nonlinear integration consistently improved predictive performance relative to direction-agnostic and correlation-based representations, while biologically motivated directional constraints generally outperformed reversed or unconstrained structures. Recurrently selected features converged on extracellular-matrix and regulatory pathways and supported clinically meaningful risk stratification. DAG-HEART provides an interpretable strategy for combining directed multi-omics structure with transfer learning under data imbalance across racial groups.

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Baek, M., Wang, J., Wan, S.. 2026-09-03. DAG-HEART: Directed Acyclic Graph-Guided Health Equity-Aware Representation Transfer Learning Framework for Breast Cancer. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.08.31.748384

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