New bioinformatics application combines curated metabolite-protein knowledge, advanced network algorithms, interactive exploration, and optional AI interpretation to generate clearer mechanistic hypotheses
MORRISVILLE, N.C., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Metabolon, Inc., the global leader in metabolomics solutions advancing life sciences research, diagnostics, therapeutics, and precision medicine, today announced Splash & Ripple, a new bioinformatics application within the company's Integrated Bioinformatics Platform. Splash & Ripple helps researchers translate metabolomic biomarkers into candidate protein mechanisms and actionable multiomic hypotheses.
Metabolomics captures biochemical activity close to phenotype, revealing the combined effects of genes, protein activity, disease, treatment, and environmental influences. While this proximity makes metabolomics highly informative, it can also complicate interpretation. A changed metabolite may be associated with numerous enzymes, transporters, receptors, and binding proteins, while conventional pathway enrichment often provides broad biological context without identifying the specific mechanisms researchers should investigate next. Moving from a metabolomics result to a focused mechanistic hypothesis can therefore require extensive manual research across scientific literature, biological databases, and multiple omics datasets. This process can take months, even for teams with specialist expertise, creating a significant barrier to realizing the full value of metabolomics.
Splash & Ripple brings this work into a single exploratory environment. Starting with a set of metabolomic biomarkers, the application identifies associated proteins and traces their relationships through high-confidence interaction networks. Splash & Ripple prioritizes candidate proteins based on the strength and concentration of supporting metabolite evidence, allowing researchers to identify mechanisms supported by multiple biochemical signals and examine the evidence behind those relationships.
"Metabolomics gives researchers an exceptionally powerful view of the biology that governs the phenotypes researchers care about, but acting on that information has required considerable time and specialist expertise," said Ro Hastie, President and CEO of Metabolon. "Splash & Ripple enables scientists to explore candidate protein mechanisms immediately, understand why they have been prioritized, and develop more focused multiomic hypotheses. Combined with our optional AI interpretation capability, Splash & Ripple can accelerate work that might otherwise take months and help researchers determine the most valuable next experiment."
At the foundation of Splash & Ripple is Metabolon's proprietary Metabolite Affiliated Proteins (MAP) Database, an exclusive, scientist-curated knowledge resource that connects measured metabolites to enzymes, transporters, receptors, and binding proteins through biologically meaningful relationships. Unlike conventional pathway-centered analyses, the MAP Database extends beyond predefined annotations to reveal mechanistic connections that may otherwise remain hidden. Built on Metabolon's decades of metabolomics expertise and supported by scientific literature and biological databases, this proprietary knowledge layer provides a uniquely powerful foundation for translating biochemical signals into biological hypotheses. Splash & Ripple applies advanced network algorithms to these curated relationships to identify proteins most closely associated with observed metabolite changes, connect multiple biochemical signals, and help researchers prioritize the mechanisms and experiments most likely to advance discovery.
Additional Splash & Ripple supporting features include:
- An optional AI-assisted interpretation module that evaluates promising protein–metabolite relationships against literature, genetic associations, interaction evidence, and phenotypic context to generate citation-supported hypotheses for scientific review and refinement. Because AI is separate from the core analysis, organizations can use Splash & Ripple without AI when project requirements restrict AI usage. In either configuration, outputs support hypothesis generation and experimental validation rather than establishing causality.
- Access to Metabolon's scientific services team to help evaluate hypotheses, assess supporting evidence, and translate findings into actionable research plans, with support available based on project needs and scope.
- An interactive interface that lets researchers navigate among biomarkers, candidate proteins, and supporting network relationships to investigate potential mechanisms underlying observed biochemical changes.
Splash & Ripple is part of Metabolon's Integrated Bioinformatics Platform, where researchers can interpret metabolomics alongside genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, clinical, and other biological data. By linking metabolomic biomarkers to candidate protein mechanisms using curated metabolite–protein knowledge, advanced network analysis, interactive exploration, and optional AI interpretation, Splash & Ripple helps researchers quickly develop focused mechanistic hypotheses, prioritize downstream experiments, and extract greater scientific and commercial value from metabolomics and multiomics data.
To learn more about Splash & Ripple, visit https://metabolon.com/bioinformatics-software/splash-and-ripple/
About Metabolomics
Metabolomics, the large-scale study of all small molecules in a biological system, is the only omics technology that provides a complete current-state functional readout of a biological system. Metabolomics helps researchers see beyond individual genetic variation, capturing the combined impact of genetic and external factors, such as drugs, diet, lifestyle, and the microbiome, on human health. By measuring thousands of discrete chemical signals that form biological pathways in the body, metabolomics can reveal important biomarkers, enabling a better understanding of a drug's mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics, and safety profile, as well as individual responses to therapy. Metabolomics anchors multiomic discovery in biological function, helping organizations reduce uncertainty and make more confident scientific and business decisions.
About Metabolon
Metabolon, Inc. is the global leader in metabolomics, with a mission to deliver biochemical data and insights that expand and accelerate the impact of life sciences research and complement other 'omics' technologies. With more than 25 years of metabolomics leadership, 15,000+ projects, 4,000+ publications, and ISO 9001:2015, CLIA, and CAP certifications, Metabolon has developed industry-leading scientific, technological, and bioinformatics techniques. Metabolon's Global Discovery Panel is powered by the world's largest proprietary metabolomics reference library, while Metabolon's expanding portfolio of solutions enables researchers to access Metabolon-standard metabolomics through both centralized services and in-house workflows. The Metabolon Verus™ Metabolomics Profiling Kit extends Metabolon's validated methods into laboratories worldwide, enabling researchers with LC-MS capabilities to generate standardized, reproducible metabolomics data on-site through streamlined workflows, embedded quality controls, automated compound annotation, and direct access to Metabolon's Integrated Bioinformatics Platform. Metabolon's industry-leading data, translational science, and bioinformatics expertise help customers and partners resolve some of the most challenging questions in the life sciences, accelerating research and enhancing development success. The company offers scalable, customizable metabolomics and multiomics solutions—from discovery and targeted services to decentralized in-house metabolomics—that support customer needs across academic research, biopharma, core facilities, and CROs, from early discovery through clinical trials and product life-cycle management. For more information, please visit www.metabolon.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
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