Prompt like a pro

K Navigator is an AI co-pilot for biomedical research, created by Owkin. It works through natural language input. You can write whatever request you wish into the chat box, it will make sense of it and provide you with an answer.

However there are ways to phrase your inputs that will help the K Navigator agent give you the most appropriate response - this is the art of prompting.

The aim is to give K Navigator the right context to retrieve the appropriate information to best answer your question, with the best structure. All systems based on large language models - including K Navigator - incorporate a degree of variability into their responses. With good prompting, you can minimize that randomness for more reproducible results.

You’re speaking my language

Here are eight ways to couch your question to get exactly what you need from K Navigator:

1. Have a clear question that can be understood without needing to understand any subtext

Summarise the role of TP53, including its biological function, associated pathways, and role in cancer.

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2. Add the right level of detail

Limit yourself to a few key words but make sure they are really relevant to the query. Too little detail and the answer will be vague. Too much and LLMs are at risk of focusing on irrelevant areas.

Show the expression of EGFR gene across different cell types and indications based on single cell sequencing.

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3. Break complex questions into sequential steps

This will help to avoid confusion in the answer.

Start a draft for a review about "drugs not recommended in Hemodialysis that could still be prescribed upon adaptation" with the following plan:

1/ Why certain drugs can't be prescribed in hemodialysis: rational, side effect...
2/ List of forbidden drugs that have been tested in trial or case reports.
3/ Perspectives focusing on how to overcome the theoretical contraindication and extend indications of these drugs in hemodialysis.

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4. Give context about yourself

Who are you - the user? Why are you asking the question? What is your expectation of the answer?

I am a breast cancer doctor, interested in finding new ways to treat refractory patients. So I want a carefully referenced list, focussing on clinical findings.

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5. Include relevant parameters and constraints

Specify the analysis type, or visualization you want and include any thresholds or filters.

How is CDH1 expressed in cancer? For this answer, make sure you use all available data modalities (RNA, Protein, histology) and technologies (bRNA, scRNA, spatial, IHC, other).

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6. Be clear about the databases you want K-Navigator to access

K-Navigator likes to keep its responses general to ensure that its answers are understandable, often leveraging only the scientific literature. However, unlike more general chatbots, it has access to 19 curated scientific databases (as well as Owkin’s MOSAIC window). If you are looking for more precise and technical responses, you need to guide K-Navigator to explicitly use stated databases. Pair this with precise questions for even better answers.

Can you plot the expression of ERBB2 in different cell types, across cancer types in all datasets for which you have single cell data, including MOSAIC window?

Map of the 19 datasets accessed by K Navigator

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7. Give K-Navigator time to think

Specify that it should take time to improve the accuracy of the answer over the convenience of delivering it quickly.

I would like an accurate answer without hallucinations, so please take your time to deliver this.

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8. Iterate

K-Navigator learns from your prior interactions and they affect its output. So to ensure it has taken into account what you need from it this time, iterate on your prompt - ask it to try again explaining what needs to change.

Please try again but ensuring you search the full range of databases you have access to, present this data to me and ensure you just deal with TP53.

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Prompt smart, not hard

K-Navigator’s power lies in the variety of databases it can access and how it can incorporate that real world data into a well-reasoned scientific answer.

The skill in using K-Navigator is helping it to use the right data to give you the best answer - properly phrasing your request is the best way to do that.

Happy prompting!