Shiny Server

Pharmacometricians are often asked by the teams they work with to explore various scenarios with our models, simulations and analyses. In most cases, the pharmacometrician, in his role as a data analyst, needs to rerun analyses, and re-represent the results, often in multiple iterations.

Shiny is a web application framework for R that can remove the step between the data analyst and the users of model results. The R package Shiny allows for easy development of web-based applications for those using R-based workflows. Shiny applications can be launched from R, or the files used can be stored on a server and launched without the need for the end user to have or be proficient in R. Basic R Shiny app development is fun and easy for even someone with limited R skills. It allows pharmacometricians to share their work with others, and empowers non-quantitative team members to explore data and analyses in real-time.

ISoP, supported by the Technology Committee and RStudio, has made available a Shiny server for ISoP members to host their pharmacometric applications.

Applications for working with datasets, visualizing models and modeling results, and simple model-based simulations applications are all suitable for the Shiny server. Applications must utilize non-proprietary code and data, and other materials. Applications that require excessively long run times may not be suitable.

ggPlot Your Data2
An application that allows you to create ggplot graphics with out knowing how to use R (compliments Samer Mouksassi)

Jinzhong Liu has agreed to administer the ISOP Shiny site. Send your material as a zip file (maintaining any file structure that is required) to liujinzhong2011@gmail.com who can upload the materials to the server and help to ensure that your application is working correctly.

RStudio maintains a wonderful introductory tutorial entitled Teach Yourself Shiny1 that can serve as a starting point for learning how to build applications using the R Shiny package. If you are completely new to Shiny, it may be useful to review this tutorial before reviewing the material below. If R is also new to you, you may want to check out the learning resources at www.rstudio.com/training before taking this tutorial.

Jessica Wojciechowski has also prepared a tutorial in CPT:PSP entitled “Interactive Pharmacometric Applications Using R and the Shiny Package” that covers the basics, but also demonstrates how to prepare an app more specific to our discipline, such as preparing a pop PK application.

A detailed tutorial specific to Pharmacometrics entitled “Building Pharmacometric Applications using R: An online R Shiny Tutorial” is also available at https://discuss.go-isop.org/t/building-pharmacometric-applications-using-r-an-online-r-shiny-tutorial/57