New stem cell treatment may offer hope for Parkinson’s disease
Keck Medicine of USC investigates a unique therapy that aims to repair damaged brain cells Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than one million people in the United …
Growing a garden of academic excellence
His path to USC from China led the clinician-scientist through resilience and growth — and now the Ostrow Dean will nurture learning, patient care and research into the future. On Sundays, Ostrow’s …
USC launches a new Center for Stem Cell Engineering on the Health Sciences Campus
A collaboration between the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the center will use stem cell engineering to uncover disease mechanisms and advance new therapies. …
From lab to launch: Inside USC’s fast-growing ecosystem of health startups
From patches that restore vision to compounds that kill brain tumors, drug and device discoveries by USC researchers are reaching patients faster than ever before. Ten years ago, two pediatric heart specialists …
Can a retinal implant reverse macular degeneration?
Clinical trial explores if stem cell-derived patch can help replace cells damaged by the disease and restore vision. Age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss and blindness for Americans 65 …
Biologists discover neurons use physical signals — not electricity — to stabilize communication
A USC Dornsife team shows how synapses rapidly adjust when their receptors fail, revealing a new mechanism of neural resilience. Every movement you make and every memory you form depends on precise …
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 …
Tricking tumors into marking themselves for destruction
New research from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering harnesses focused ultrasound to reprogram solid tumors, making them more effective targets for immune cells. USC biomedical engineers have found a way to …
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 …
Researchers invent new AI tool to automate detection of cancer in blood samples
Innovation detects cancer cells in blood samples (liquid biopsies) in as little as 10 minutes and identifies hard-to-find cells without humans in-the-loop. When cancer spreads, tiny amounts of cells can break away …
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. …