From Parse Biosciences

Cells profiled in each publication double every year.

Experimental size is growing at a break-neck pace, demanding increased attention on experimental design and technology selection.

Today’s prevailing methods for single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis still rely on specialized hardware. Since 2015, these methods have been widely used, allowing tens of thousands of cells to be sequenced in a single experiment. However, limited to a specific instrument, these methods struggle against increasing numbers of samples and cells. Typically, the path to scalability with these technologies is to invest in newer hardware or sacrifice data quality.

The good news is that more efficient and elegant approaches are breaking down these barriers by focusing on chemistry rather than dedicated instruments. Specifically, combinatorial barcoding of single cells supports sample multiplexing and scalability using only essential laboratory equipment,  and no commitment to a specific device.