University of Washington-Seattle Campus · BiologyNeuronal Vulnerability Research Lab
Jay Z Parrish · Seattle, Washington
Research Focus
Dr. Jay Z Parrish's lab at the University of Washington focuses on understanding why certain neurons are more vulnerable to degeneration, particularly those with long axons, by studying the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. They investigate a genetic pathway that influences the production of inflammatory signals affecting neuron health. Ultimately, their research aims to provide insights that could lead to better treatments for neurodegenerative disorders which impact many people worldwide.
neurodegenerationaxon healthinflammatory cytokinesDrosophilaglial cellsneuron vulnerabilityneurodegenerative disorderspresynapse lossmicroglia
Research Aims
4AIM 01Identify genetic pathways affecting neuronal inflammation.
AIM 02Characterize the role of phagocytes in axon degeneration.
AIM 03Investigate the link between axon length and neuron vulnerability.
AIM 04Determine the impact of inflammatory cytokines on synaptic health.
Skills the Lab Values
Drosophila geneticsimmunohistochemistryconfocal microscopymolecular cloninggenetic screeningcell cultureimaging analysisRNA extractionPCR
Output against the department
Publications90bottom 30% of dept.727th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.1kbottom 23% of dept.794th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.