Modernizing a Pharma Giant's Shiny App Framework with Open-Source Tools for Scalable Clinical Insights

A global pharmaceutical leader was using an internal Shiny framework to analyze clinical trial data. This system allowed researchers to build dashboards and share modular components. But as the system grew, so did its complexity, and maintenance became a challenge. When key developers left, progress stalled, bugs accumulated, and the framework became a bottleneck for the business.

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To address this, the company partnered with Appsilon to modernize and stabilize the system. By integrating open-source tools like {teal}, a purpose-built R/Shiny package for clinical workflows, they improved modularity, reduced manual maintenance, and accelerated dashboard development. The result: a more robust, efficient framework that enabled faster insights and better decision-making in clinical trials.

ShinyConf Talk – Appsilon x Pharma Company

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The Challenge

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The company's internal framework had become difficult to maintain, especially with a shrinking development team. When key contributors left, updates slowed, bugs piled up, and just one developer was left managing a mission-critical system.

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This created real business risks. The framework was fragile and time-consuming to fix, which drained resources and slowed clinical trial timelines, potentially impacting competitiveness. Without a fix, the system risked becoming unusable, forcing a costly rebuild.

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They needed a sustainable, long-term solution to stabilize and modernize the platform without starting from scratch.

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The Solution

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Appsilon collaborated closely with the client's team to improve the framework while ensuring alignment with their clinical and operational needs.

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What We Did

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• System modernization: Cleaned up legacy code, updated outdated dependencies, and improved overall performance.
• Open-source integration: Integrated {teal}, enhancing modularity and reducing the need for custom code.
• Reducing release cycle time: Improving deployment for quicker updates and better stability.
• Long-term maintainability: Improved testing coverage and code organization to ensure the system could evolve without breaking.

We worked side-by-side with the client’s engineers to ensure that every change improved usability and business impact, not just code quality.

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Key Technologies

• R/Shiny: Used for building interactive applications and dashboards.
• {teal}: Brought in to modularize application structure and streamline data workflows.
• GitLab: Implemented for version control and collaboration across teams.

Integrating {teal} was a turning point. It allowed us to extend the system without rewriting it, proving that open-source solutions can scale even in highly regulated enterprise environments.

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Our Team

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We kept the project lean but effective:

• Appsilon Senior Engineer: Led the technical work, solved complex issues, and introduced best practices.
• Client Engineer: Provided domain expertise and ensured we met internal and regulatory requirements.

Overcoming Technical Challenges

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One major hurdle was the heavily customized version of Shiny the team had been using. It was full of outdated components and tangled dependencies. Updating it safely required a careful, phased approach to avoid breaking functionality.

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Another challenge was that the available CRAN version of {teal} did not yet support modular use out of the box. We worked around this by adapting the framework to fit seamlessly with the client's architecture.

The system also had tightly coupled code, duplicated logic, and minimal test coverage. This made even small updates risky and time-consuming. We untangled these issues, improved test coverage, and added robust documentation.

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To address knowledge loss after developer departures, we led knowledge-sharing sessions and created clear documentation. This empowered the internal team to maintain and evolve the system after our engagement ended.

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Results

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Our collaborative approach led to a more reliable, efficient, and scalable system.

• Integrating {teal} prompted necessary updates and improved compatibility with modern tools.
• The app became more modular, easier to maintain, and better suited to future development.
• Development became faster and more consistent, reducing risk and freeing up time for innovation.

Impact

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This modernization effort had a clear and measurable impact:

• Faster clinical insights: Quicker data processing helped researchers access critical findings sooner.
• Improved system stability: Removing outdated components reduced crashes and downtime.
• Better code reusability: Modular design minimized duplication and made new features easier to implement.
• More efficient updates: Streamlined release processes cut down on deployment friction.
• Reduced risk: Less dependence on individual developers and clearer documentation strengthened resilience.
• Future-ready foundation: The system is now better positioned to grow with the company's evolving needs.

Ready to Modernize Your Clinical Systems?

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If you're facing similar challenges with aging internal tools, tight resources, or complex regulatory environments, we can help. Reach out to Appsilon to learn how open-source tools and modern frameworks can future-proof your systems and speed up decision-making. Let's talk.

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