Qi-Long Ying’s lab is working to generate a renewable source of immune cells that can be engineered to attack cancer and infections. His team has already made progress in cultivating progenitor cells that give rise to two key types of immune cells: macrophages and granulocytes. In collaboration with Rong Lu’s Lab, the Ying Lab is exploring ways to encourage granulocyte/macrophage progenitors (GMPs) to self-renew. They are testing whether these GMPs can develop into fully functional macrophages—which form the body’s first line of defense by engulfing and digesting invading bacteria and viruses, as well as cancers. They are also genetically modifying these GMPs to empower them to more aggressively attack cancer cells.

USC Stem Cell scientists are advancing our understanding of cancers of the lung, prostate, blood, colon, skin, pancreas, liver, brain, ovaries and eye. They are also using stem cells to find new regenerative therapies and drugs to treat cancer, one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

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Vivian Medina (Photo courtesy of Vivian Medina)

Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Vivian Medina, Senior Manager of Digital and Data Analytics at Takeda

As the Senior Manager of Digital and Data Analytics at Takeda in Los Angeles, Vivian Medina pursues her career in science with the ultimate goal of helping people. A lifelong Angeleno whose …

Suhasni Gopalakrishnan at the Base Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile. (Photo by Arvind Baskaran)

Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Suhasni Gopalakrishnan, Director at Allogene Therapeutics

“I feel like I’m a person who goes with the flow,” said Suhasni Gopalakrishnan, Director at Allogene Therapeutics in San Francisco. Going with the flow has led Gopalakrishnan to many fascinating places. …

Noah Merin (Photo courtesy of Cedars-Sinai)

Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Noah Merin, Assistant Professor at Cedars-Sinai

For physician-scientist Noah Merin, the form of stem cell transplantation known as bone marrow transplantation remains the “coolest thing in medicine” and the focus of his career. “I do bone marrow transplantation …

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Dr. Rong Lu’s lab studies stem cell coordination, regulation and malfunction from a single cell perspective. If you’re interested in studying stem cells or cancer at the single cell level, please email your CV to Dr. Rong Lu at ronglu@usc.edu. For more information, visit https://ronglulab.usc.edu.
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