USC Stem Cell’s Chuck Murry shows heart for local third-graders through the medical and cancer STEM programs
USC’s Medical STEM Program brings pig hearts, pulse oximeters, and a world of possibility to local third graders. At Vermont Avenue Elementary School, a class of third graders stared wide-eyed as Chuck …
What if cells could talk and fight heart disease?
USC Viterbi’s Chung Lab has engineered a naturally derived particle for powerful therapies against cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Have you seen the latest EV models? Nope, not the Tesla Model 3. Think …
Discovery may point to cell of origin for Ewing sarcoma
New study suggests that neural crest cells are reprogrammed into tumor-forming cells, reshaping the understanding of this childhood cancer. For decades, scientists have been puzzled by two enduring mysteries around Ewing sarcoma. …
USC physician-scientists Denis Evseenko and Toby Maher win $3.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to develop regenerative drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
It might start with a shortness of breath that’s easily dismissed as getting older or needing more exercise. But for the nearly 3 million patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), this subtle …
Next-generation CAR T cells could expand solid cancer treatment options
Using cell cultures and animal models, researchers from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck School of Medicine of USC showed that innovative ways to further engineer CAR T cells can …
USC Stem Cell-led study generates authentic embryonic stem cells from birds
Scientists discover that egg yolk is a key to establishing authentic embryonic stem cells from chickens and seven other avian species, as reported in Nature Biotechnology. Egg whites may be perfect for …
USC Stem Cell students and trainees win $15,000 collaborative research grants
When learning to become a great scientist, the most important lesson might be how to collaborate. To encourage this essential skill, for the past decade, USC Stem Cell has awarded one-year challenge …
USC COMPASS student Alara Berkmen wins prestigious Astronaut Scholarship
Alara Berkmen, a biomedical engineering student, is recognized for leadership and dedication to cancer research. Alara Berkmen, a USC Viterbi senior studying biomedical engineering, recently won the prestigious 2025 Astronaut Scholarship award …
USC Stem Cell PhD student Shuwan Liu receives award from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Which signals drive cells to heal large-scale bone injuries? For her research into this question, USC Stem Cell PhD student Shuwan Liu has won a 2025 Young Investigator Award from the American …
USC Stem Cell-led team makes major advance toward building a synthetic kidney
Scientists combine kidney filtering and urine-concentrating components to create “assembloids,” the most mature and complex kidney structures ever grown in a lab and a tool for developing new therapies. A USC Stem …
Stem cell transplant for stroke leads to brain cell growth and functional recovery in mice
Insights about brain cell damage after stroke and repair after transplant could pave the way for therapies that extend the treatment window, as revealed in a lab study led by the Keck …
USC Stem Cell scientists unlock blueprint for lab-grown kidney cells with preclinical value
In the lab, it’s easier to grow simple balls of cells than complex asymmetrical structures with two distinct ends—like the one million filtering units, or nephrons, that make up a human kidney. …
Why aging matters for bone healing: New clues from the rib
A resected rib in a young person can grow back with surprising ease—even if a large piece is missing. This remarkable healing ability was observed by Janice S. Lee, principal investigator of …
Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Alex Qiuyu Guo, Senior Scientist for Discovery Biomarkers at Amgen
Although Alex Qiuyu Guo is now Senior Scientist for Discovery Biomarkers at Amgen, he admits that he didn’t start off being devoted to science. “I was more interested in history,” said Guo, …
Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Joanna Smeeton, Assistant Professor at Columbia University
Joanna Smeeton runs a lab at Columbia University that uses zebrafish to understand joint tissue regeneration and develop new approaches for treating ligament injuries and arthritis. But before receiving a California Institute …
Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Guanyi Huang, Associate Principal Scientist at Merck
Guanyi Huang, associate principal scientist at Merck, has often found himself in the right place at the right time. The son of a middle school math teacher and computer science professor-turned-entrepreneur, Huang …
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 …
Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Maksim Plikus, Professor at the University of California, Irvine
Maksim Plikus was still an undergraduate when he first became fascinated by the study of hair biology. His lab supervisor asked him to dissect a rat whisker, and to recombine parts of …
Yang Chai named dean of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC
The clinician-scientist, who is the school’s associate dean of research, has been serving as interim dean. Yang Chai, associate dean of research at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, has …
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. …