UPCARE: User Privacy-preserving Cancer Research Platform

Cancer research has entered a new era with the advent of big data and advanced computational analytics. However, the utilization of such medical data poses significant privacy and security challenges. This paper presents a comprehensive examination of User Privacy-preserving Cancer Research Platform (UPCARE), a research platform that enables the secure and ethical sharing of sensitive medical cancer data for collaborative researchers, while safeguarding patient privacy. To our knowledge, only a few approaches have been pursued so far in building a uniform cancer research platform protected by modern cryptography. We try to provide a uniform platform for research UPCARE leverages cutting-edge cryptographic access methods, like attribute-based encryption, as well as data anonymization techniques, like multiparty homomorphic encryption, to allow secure data sharing with researchers, ensuring compliance with stringent regulatory requirements. This paper discusses the architecture, methodologies, and applications of UPCARE, highlighting its potential to improve cancer research and accelerate advancements in precision medicine while preserving user privacy.