Above: Arba Karcini presents her work at a Mass Dynamics event in San Francisco, April 2025.
The Challenge
At PTC Therapeutics, a biopharma company pioneering treatments for neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental rare disorders, multiomics research is critical. Arba Karcini, a proteomics scientist on the multiomics team based in Mountain View, California, highlighted the unique position of her team at the intersection of research and clinical development, dealing with both clinical and preclinical samples.
Despite advancements in instrumentation enabling rapid, high-throughput proteomics, Arba faced daily struggles with data analysis. The process was often complex and disconnected, involving multiple incompatible software platforms and tools. This fragmented analytical environment resulted in delays of several weeks, significantly impeding the pace of discovery and interpretation.
Finding Simplicity in Complexity
Discovering Mass Dynamics marked a transformative shift for Arba. She vividly recounts how the previously cumbersome, weeks-long analytical process became astonishingly efficient:
"Within minutes you'll have your statistical analysis ready. That is amazing."
Arba was immediately impressed by Mass Dynamics’ intuitive design, notably its ease of use even among colleagues without prior proteomics expertise:
"Other scientists on the team that had not seen the data before, whenever they were introduced to Mass Dynamics, they picked it up very fast. It was very intuitive and easy to navigate."
One standout feature Arba specifically highlighted was the custom protein selection capability, enabling rapid identification of biologically significant pathways directly within the platform.
Collaboration Unleashed
Mass Dynamics went beyond individual productivity. Its collaborative framework empowered researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds - including biochemistry, molecular biology, neuroscience, and clinical research - to independently interrogate and intuitively interpret complex datasets.
"Now everyone from your team can go and navigate this dataset together," Arba explains. "When you have thousands of proteins in an Excel sheet or other table format, you're like, 'OK, where do I start?' With Mass Dynamics, you immediately get an intuitive idea of how it all comes together."
Arba shared a powerful anecdote illustrating user delight:
"The first insight my colleagues had upon seeing Mass Dynamics was, 'Yes, this makes sense.' That was really nice to hear."
For non-proteomics scientists, interrogation of large proteomics datasets remains a barrier that can often lead to being overwhelmed, therefore their statements about Mass Dynamic’s ease of use are refreshing.
Rapid Results and New Discoveries
Leveraging Mass Dynamics, Arba swiftly validated the efficacy of novel therapeutic compounds, particularly focusing on critical pathways. The platform's intuitive visualizations enabled clear and actionable insights, accelerating biomarker identification and informing strategic decision-making steps far quicker than previously possible.
A Vision for the Future
Arba’s immediate experience with Mass Dynamics has ignited her enthusiasm for an even broader vision:
"I feel that Mass Dynamics has established itself as the leading proteomics platform to bring people together. I really hope that one day I can say that Mass Dynamics will be a multiomics platform."
She strongly advocates for the platform’s expansion into integrated multiomics capabilities, emphasizing that comprehensive systems biology approaches are essential for unlocking deeper biological insights and advancing personalized medicine.
Towards a New Era in Scientific Discovery
Arba’s journey from navigating complex analytical barriers to empowerment illustrates a universal truth for scientists today: science is evolving, and the tools we use must evolve with it. Mass Dynamics exemplifies this essential shift towards integrated, intuitive, and collaborative science—a movement crucial for accelerating discoveries not only in proteomics but across all scientific disciplines.
Her experience and vision resonate clearly as a call to the scientific community to embrace platforms like Mass Dynamics. These platforms streamline workflows, foster collaboration, and ultimately change the way we understand and approach biological discovery, ultimately improving human health and changing lives.
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This Customer Story post was produced by Assoc. Prof. Andrew Webb using a combination of original thoughts, alongside a presentation given by Arba Karcini. Final compilation was completed with assistance from ChatGPT. Any errors or omissions are unintentional, and the content is provided for informational purposes only. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author's employers, organization, committees or other group or individual.
