GROMTools offers near-identical GReX accuracy with 100-fold CPU savings versus PrediXcan and PLINK2
This publication describes the software tool GROMTools and benchmarks its performance against PrediXcan and PLINK2 within shared and cloud-based compute environments. The evaluation utilized data from 50,000 to 450,000 individuals in the UK Biobank population. The primary outcome assessed was individual-level genetically regulated gene expression imputation across 388,017 variants and 11,724 gene-tissue pairs derived from 32 single-cell models.
The analysis found that GROMTools produced near-identical predictions compared to the comparators. Accuracy was defined by a minimum Pearson correlation greater than 0.999 and a maximum RMSE less than 0.001. Performance metrics for CPU time and peak memory were also reduced, showing about 100-fold and about 33-fold reductions respectively.
The authors note that existing tools were not designed for mega-biobank-scale settings and require complex, memory-intensive workflows. Consequently, GROMTools is presented as a practical and cost-efficient solution for routine biobank-scale individual-level GReX imputation on standard CPU infrastructure. Safety data such as adverse events or tolerability were not reported.