Wasm-iCARE: a portable and privacy-preserving web module to build, validate, and apply absolute risk models

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Absolute risk models estimate an individual’s future disease risk over a specified time interval. Applications utilizing server-side risk tooling, the R-based iCARE (R-iCARE), to build, validate, and apply absolute risk models, face limitations in portability and privacy due to their need for circulating user data in remote servers for operation. We overcome this by porting iCARE to the web platform. Materials and Methods We refactored R-iCARE into a Python package (Py-iCARE) and then compiled it to WebAssembly (Wasm-iCARE)—a portable web module, which operates within the privacy of the user’s device. Results We showcase the portability and privacy of Wasm-iCARE through 2 applications: for researchers to statistically validate risk models and to deliver them to end-users. Both applications run entirely on the client side, requiring no downloads or installations, and keep user data on-device during risk calculation. Conclusions Wasm-iCARE fosters accessible and privacy-preserving risk tools, accelerating their validation and delivery.