Parse Biosciences GigaLab to Support Mount Sinai Researchers in Generating One of the Largest Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Single Cell Datasets
Seattle, United States:
Parse Biosciences today announced their commitment to support researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in generating one of the largest single cell datasets focused on understanding alternative splicing events in the cells of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients. The study's initial phase will analyze transcriptomic profiles from more than 10 million cells derived from more than 1,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples of patients with neurodegenerative conditions. The data amassed from these analyses will lay the foundation for discoveries that could transform how these diseases are understood, detected, and treated.
'Historical research in neurodegenerative disease has focused on the genomic underpinnings for disease diagnoses, but few have looked at the post transcriptional events that may be further driving pathology and progression of disease,' said Towfique Raj, PhD, principal investigator in the laboratory for functional genomics and core faculty member of the Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease at Mount Sinai, who will lead this study. 'We're excited to be able to look at alternative splicing events in single cells at scale to determine alternative contributors to disease onset, progression and severity. Studies of this scale are critical to the development of foundational models to help us better understand neurodegenerative disease.'
Dr. Raj's research team at Mount Sinai is dedicated to understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
For this study, the Mount Sinai team is working to conduct high-throughput profiling on banked PBMCs donated by patients with confirmed Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease diagnoses. The researchers expect to profile more than 1,000 samples in order to capture single cell whole transcriptome repertoire data on them. The samples that have been prepared at Mount Sinai will then be sent to Parse GigaLab, a state-of-the-art facility purpose-built for the generation of massive-scale single cell RNA sequencing datasets. Leveraging Parse's Evercode chemistry, the GigaLab can rapidly produce large single cell datasets with exceptional quality.
'We are incredibly excited to bring the power of GigaLab to elevate the impactful work the Raj Lab has been driving,' says Dr. Charlie Roco, Chief Technology Officer at Parse Biosciences. 'The speed and scale achieved with the GigaLab truly helps to accelerate research and get us to insights faster than we ever have before.'
About Parse Biosciences
Parse Biosciences is a global life sciences company whose mission is to accelerate progress in human health and scientific research. Empowering researchers to perform single cell sequencing with unprecedented scale and ease, its pioneering approach has enabled groundbreaking discoveries in cancer treatment, tissue repair, stem cell therapy, kidney and liver disease, brain development, and the immune system.
With technology developed at the University of Washington by co-founders Alex Rosenberg and Charles Roco, Parse has raised over $100 million in capital and is used by over 2,500 customers across the world. Its growing portfolio of products includes Evercode™ Whole Transcriptome, Evercode™ TCR, Evercode™ BCR, Gene Select, and a solution for data analysis, Trailmaker™.
Parse Biosciences is based in Seattle's vibrant South Lake Union district, where it recently expanded into a new headquarters and state-of-the-art laboratory. To learn more, please visit https://www.parsebiosciences.com/.
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Best overall green tea More green teas we like Types of green tea Factors to consider How we chose Other green teas we tested FAQs Meet our experts Update, June 26, 2025: We checked all product prices and availability. Our No. 1 pick for best overall green tea, Upton Tea Imports Season's Pick China Sencha Organic Green Tea is out of stock and was replaced with our tester's runner-up favorite. (back to top) (back to top) There are many different types of green tea, and each has its own unique characteristics. Some of the most common types include Sencha, matcha, jasmine, Genmaicha, Dragonwell (Longjing), Gunpowder and flavored blends. We spoke with Adriana Ayales, an herbalist, medicine maker, educator and founder of Anima Mundi, to learn about the differences between varieties of green tea. Here's what she had to say: Sencha: This is a steamed green tea with a fresh, grassy profile. It's commonly enjoyed throughout Japan. 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It also contains almonds, so it's unsuitable for people with a nut allergy. Magic Hour Goddess Green Tea: This tea had lovely sweet and floral notes. It did make our mouth feel slightly dry, but the main reason it didn't make our list is that we preferred Magic Hour's Emerald Green Tea as our favorite flavored green tea. Magic Hour Moonlight in Marrakesh: This tea had a pleasant minty and spicy flavor from peppermint, ginger and cinnamon. While it tasted nice, we felt that you could probably get a similar-tasting tea at a lower price point. Just Ice Tea Moroccan Mint: This lightly sweetened iced tea was refreshing, but it had a definite minty aftertaste that almost made you feel like you'd just brushed your teeth. Just Ice Tea Original Green Tea: This is the brand's unsweetened iced tea; to us, it tasted like a cup of tea we had forgotten about and let go cold. We don't need our teas to be super sweet, but a little hint of sweetness would help balance out the bitterness of the green tea here. Just Ice Tea Honey Green Tea: We really enjoyed the slightly sweet honey flavor of this iced tea. However, it had a slightly bitter aftertaste and tasted more like honey than green tea. NOW Organic Green Tranquility Decaf Green Tea with Lemon Myrtle: We really wanted to like this tea; a decaf green tea to sip on in the evening seemed right up our alley. However, the tea was so mild in flavor (even after steeping for longer than the suggested six minutes) that we couldn't really tell it was green tea. Plus, each bag was individually wrapped in plastic, which isn't great for the environment. Upton Tea Imports Korean Green Tea Jung-Jak Organic: This tea was pleasant to drink, with its grassy and fresh notes. It also wasn't bitter. However, other teas by this brand scored higher, so that's why this one didn't make the list. Upton Tea Imports Gyokuro Organic: This tea has a whopping 120 milligrams of caffeine, so it's definitely one you should try to drink earlier in the day. However, while it had nice umami and nutty flavors, it was one of the most expensive teas we sampled at about $0.60 per cup, and we felt there were other green teas that were better value for money. Upton Tea Imports Colombian Pan Fired: The Colombian Pan Fired green tea had a mild grassy flavor, but at $0.70 per cup, we felt there were more affordable options with better overall quality. Upton Tea Imports Lung Ching (Long Jing) Green (Superfine): This tea had a distinct grassy, slightly sweet flavor that made it a delightful sip. However, it was $0.51 per cup. We felt that the China Sencha green tea (at only $0.10 a cup) gives the same quality at a more affordable price point. Upton Tea Imports Special Grade Temple of Heaven Gunpowder Green: This green tea had a pleasant grassiness without being bitter. It was affordable, at $0.13 per cup. However, we felt there could have been a bit more "oomph" in flavor, and there were other similarly priced teas that we enjoyed more. Upton Tea Imports Young Hyson Imperial Organic: We steeped this tea for the recommended amount of time and could barely taste it. While it was one of the more affordable teas we reviewed, at $0.16 a cup, we wanted more flavor from our tea. Bigelow Green Tea with Ginger Plus Probiotics: This tea tasted more like ginger tea than green tea. We tried it over the span of a few days and didn't notice any changes in digestion. We would have preferred it if this tea tasted like green tea instead of ginger tea. (back to top) According to Alexia Zolis, founder of the Healthy Living RD, green tea is packed with antioxidants, particularly catechins, which help protect our cells from damage like oxidative stress — an imbalance between harmful free radicals and antioxidants — and inflammation. "These powerful compounds may also reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and chronic diseases like heart disease," she explains. Seema Shah, owner of Seema Shah Integrative and Functional Nutrition, adds that thanks to its L-theanine content, green tea may support and protect brain health, mood and memory. Plus, its rich content of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals like EGCG may also support heart and metabolic health. While many people tout green tea's weight loss benefits, Leah Reitmayer Murnane, owner of Lettuce Eat Dessert, explains the benefit may be overstated. "There is limited research about the popular claim that drinking green tea can support weight management." However, drinking green tea adds fluid to your diet without adding sugar from other liquids like soda, so it could aid with weight loss by simply reducing the total amount of sugar intake (and empty calories) you may be drinking from other beverages. "If you're a tea lover," says Zolis, "it can be easy to drink multiple cups of green tea every day." However, it's important to remember that green tea does still contain caffeine. Similar to other caffeinated drinks, if you drink too much, it may lead to symptoms like dehydration, restlessness or dizziness, says Zolis. "The recommended daily maximum amount of caffeine for adults to enjoy each day is 400 mg, according to the Food and Drug Administration. This translates to roughly eight to 10 cups of green tea per day. Everyone has different caffeine tolerance, so enjoying three to five cups is a safe and beneficial amount of green tea to have daily," says Zolis. However, keep in mind that this amount can still contain up to 225 milligrams of caffeine, says Reitmayer Murnane. "Brewing green tea is both an art and a ritual," says Ayales. "For loose leaf teas like Sencha, 170°F to 185°F is perfect," she explains, "as hotter water can scald the leaves, resulting in bitterness." For best results, steep the tea for one to three minutes to extract just the right amount of flavor and nutrients. When it comes to brewing matcha, the preparation is even more mindful, says Ayales. "Use warm water — around 158°F to 165°F — and whisk it into a vibrant froth with a bamboo whisk or hand frother," she explains. She adds that this method allows you to fully immerse yourself in the experience and connect with the vitality of the tea. "Drinking tea can become a daily practice of presence and gratitude," says Ayales, "deepening your connection to self and spirit." "Green tea contains less caffeine than coffee," says Zolis. "While a typical cup of coffee contains about 100 milligrams of caffeine, an 8-ounce cup of green tea typically contains between 30 and 50 milligrams of caffeine." However, the caffeine content of green tea can vary significantly depending on how long you brew it, with longer brewing times leading to a higher-caffeine cup of tea. Plus, matcha, where you consume the entire leaf, is higher in caffeine than loose-leaf green tea. "Green tea and matcha originate from the same plant," says Reitmayer Murnane, "but are processed and consumed differently." Green tea comes from leaves steeped in water and then discarded, while matcha is ground into a fine powder, allowing you to consume the whole leaf, she explains. "This results in matcha having high caffeine and antioxidant levels, along with a richer flavor and texture compared to a regular green tea," she adds. (back to top) Adriana Ayales, herbalist, medicine maker and founder of Anima Mundi Anney Norton, founder of Dream Tea NYC Alexia Zolis, RD and founder of the Healthy Living RD Leah Reitmayer Murnane, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, owner of Lettuce Eat Dessert Seema Shah, RD, owner of Seema Shah Integrative and Functional Nutrition (back to top) Our health content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional on questions about your health.
