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USC Stem Cell scientists watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean during a Q&A with keynote speaker Aileen Anderson. (Photo by Cristy Lytal)

Getting lost in translation—the clinical kind—at USC’s stem cell retreat

At the retreat for USC’s Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, newly appointed leader Chuck Murry shared a vision as sweeping as the panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean from …

Gage Crump (Photo courtesy of Gage Crump); featured image for Gage Crump receives the 2025 USC Provost Mentoring Award

Gage Crump receives the 2025 USC Provost Mentoring Award

Gage Crump, professor and vice-chair of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, will be honored with the …

Müller glia (green) and their progeny (red) regenerate nerve cells and photoreceptors in a mouse retina (Image by Ksenia Gnedeva/USC); featured image for USC Stem Cell mouse study identifies shared genes involved in hearing and vision regeneration

USC Stem Cell mouse study identifies shared genes involved in hearing and vision regeneration

The same genes could hold the key to regenerating cells in the ear and eye, according to a new mouse study from the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Ksenia Gnedeva, published in …

USC stem cell research center; featured image for 2025 Call for Applications: CIRM Clinical Research Fellowship in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

2025 Call for Applications: CIRM Clinical Research Fellowship in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

We have 1-year positions with a 1-year renewal option available for clinical trainees interested in conducting research related to stem cell biology and/or regenerative medicine in one of the leading labs at …

Tau protein in the brain of a mouse with a mutation that causes a common form of dementia (Image by Joshua Berlind/Ichida Lab/USC Stem Cell); featured image for How to clear the toxic tau protein that can lead to Alzheimer’s and related diseases

How to clear the toxic tau protein that can lead to Alzheimer’s and related diseases

USC Stem Cell scientists discover a new way to rid cells of toxic tau protein in a study involving mice and lab-grown human “mini-brains,” known as organoids. The neurotransmitter glutamate is essential …

A gene control element for human outer ear development shows activity in the gills (green) of a 2-week old zebrafish (Image by Mathi Thiruppathy/Crump Lab/USC Stem Cell); featured image for An earful of gill: USC Stem Cell study points to the evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear

An earful of gill: USC Stem Cell study points to the evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear

The outer ear is unique to mammals, but its evolutionary origin has remained a mystery. According to a new study published in Nature from the USC Stem Cell lab of Gage Crump, …

In the zebrafish inner ear, a cell type known as supporting cells (magenta) gives rise to new sensory hearing cells (blue). The study reveals a set of DNA control elements critical for supporting cells to regenerate hair cells after injury in zebrafish, lizards and other regenerative species. (Image by Tuo Shi/Crump and Lozito labs/USC Stem Cell); featured image for USC Stem Cell study breaks the silence on how fish and lizards regenerate hearing

USC Stem Cell study breaks the silence on how fish and lizards regenerate hearing

A new USC Stem Cell study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has identified key gene regulators that enable some deafened animals—including fish and lizards—to naturally regenerate …

Newborn neuron (green and purple cell) in brain tissue from patients with epilepsy (Image by Aswathy Ammothumkandy/Bonaguidi Lab/USC Stem Cell); featured image for To remember conversations, keep making new brain cells

To remember conversations, keep making new brain cells

USC-led study of patients with epilepsy shows how making new neurons benefits cognition in adults. Why do adults make new brain cells? A new study published in Cell Stem Cell provides the …

Illustrations by Doug Chayka; featured image for Cell by cell: Rebuilding the body

Cell by cell: Rebuilding the body

USC researchers are revolutionizing how we treat disease by harnessing stem cells as “living medicine.” Anyone who’s healed from a cut or a scrape has witnessed the incredible regenerative power of stem …

A circular field of cells shows a gradient of patterns, with green spots decreasing in size as cell density increases.; featured image for By exerting “crowd control” over mouse cells, scientists make progress towards engineering tissues

By exerting “crowd control” over mouse cells, scientists make progress towards engineering tissues

Genes aren’t the sole driver instructing cells to build multicellular structures, tissues, and organs. In a new paper published in Nature Communications, USC Stem Cell scientist Leonardo Morsut and Caltech computational biologist …

From right, Dean Carolyn Meltzer, Senta Georgia, and Charles (Chuck) Murry (Photo courtesy of Charles (Chuck) Murry); featured image for Keck School of Medicine celebrates faculty achievements at annual awards ceremony

Keck School of Medicine celebrates faculty achievements at annual awards ceremony

The 2024 Faculty Awards and Recognition Ceremony was a night of recognition and reflection as Dean Carolyn C. Meltzer, the Keck School Faculty Council and the Office of Faculty Affairs, Advancement, and …

Adaptive immune cells, such as B cells (pictured), are a key component of a youthful immune system. (Image courtesy of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases); featured image for USC Stem Cell mouse study sheds light on the secret to maintaining a youthful immune system

USC Stem Cell mouse study sheds light on the secret to maintaining a youthful immune system

What keeps some immune systems youthful and effective in warding off age-related diseases? In a new paper published in Cellular & Molecular Immunology, USC Stem Cell scientist Rong Lu and her collaborators …

A stem cell innovator focusing on repairing the heart, Chuck Murry (second from right) shares his expertise in biomedical science. (Photo/Steve Cohn); featured image for Chuck Murry: Stem cell science for healing the heart

Chuck Murry: Stem cell science for healing the heart

Success in Chuck Murry’s vision for regenerating heart tissue to restore function after a heart attack would look like a radical shift in the medical landscape. Ironically enough, he chalks up his …

(Photo courtesy of iStock); featured image for Severe COVID-19 infection increases heart attack and stroke risk as much as having a history of heart disease, study finds

Severe COVID-19 infection increases heart attack and stroke risk as much as having a history of heart disease, study finds

Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, UCLA and Cleveland Clinic studied the link between COVID-19 and major cardiac events, finding an increased risk that varied by blood type. Patients …

; featured image for USC’s Rong Lu and Caltech’s Michael B. Elowitz win the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award for their new approach to study blood and immune cell production in bone marrow

USC’s Rong Lu and Caltech’s Michael B. Elowitz win the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award for their new approach to study blood and immune cell production in bone marrow

Is it possible to study the production of blood and immune cells inside the bone marrow? For the first time ever, the answer is yes, thanks to a new approach pioneered by …

Image/iStock; featured image for USC launches collaboration with StemCardia to advance heart regeneration therapies

USC launches collaboration with StemCardia to advance heart regeneration therapies

The new initiative brings together renowned experts at a researcher-founded biotechnology company with Keck School of Medicine experts to develop innovative solutions for heart failure, the global leading cause of death. The …

Photo/iStock; featured image for An early blood test can predict survival in patients with metastatic prostate cancer, shows USC study

An early blood test can predict survival in patients with metastatic prostate cancer, shows USC study

The non-invasive test, which measures circulating tumor cells in the blood, can predict treatment response, disease progression and overall survival in men newly diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, according to new research …

; featured image for Wnt happens in kidney development?

Wnt happens in kidney development?

A pair of USC Stem Cell mouse studies detail how progenitor cells self-renew, differentiate, and aggregate into early kidney structures, offering insights for the creation of stem cell-based artificial kidneys. A group …

COMPASS cohort (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for USC COMPASS undergraduate program prepares juniors and seniors for stem cell careers

USC COMPASS undergraduate program prepares juniors and seniors for stem cell careers

For 20 undergraduate students at USC, stem cell research is more than the topic of a lecture or an article in a textbook. It’s the focus of a comprehensive two-year program designed …

Following an acute kidney injury, damaged cells interact within disease-promoting microenvironments, a process linked to a progression to chronic kidney disease. (Image by Michal Polonsky/Caltech); featured image for New study shows cells get involved in unhealthy relationships after acute kidney injury (AKI) in mice

New study shows cells get involved in unhealthy relationships after acute kidney injury (AKI) in mice

Using cutting-edge technology, researchers at USC and Caltech develop a comprehensive map of cellular, molecular, and structural changes following AKI, revealing cellular interactions that may lead to chronic kidney disease. A study …