News
USC researchers converge at the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Symposium
“The field of stem cell biology is one of our great convergence opportunities,” said USC Provost Michael Quick, addressing an audience of biologists, chemists, physicists, engineers, clinicians and many others. This diverse group came together for the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Symposium, hosted by USC Stem Cell and the USC Medicine, Engineering, Science and Humanities (MESH) …
Countdown to Commencement: Ciara Mimms directs aircraft and redirects cells
“November-Two-Five, you’re clear for takeoff. Clear for takeoff, November-Two-Five. Good day!” From directing jets in the sky in the United States Air Force Reserve to delving into stem cell biology, Ciara Mimms, who is graduating with her master’s degree in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine from USC in December, describes her life as “coming …
Request for Proposals: Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Awards in Stem Biology and Regenerative Medicine (Stem Cell Engineering, Therapeutic Screening, Optical Imaging and Flow Cytometry)
A gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has established the Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Awards in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at USC. This year, we are seeking innovative proposals to utilize the Chang Stem Cell Engineering Facility, the Choi Therapeutic Screening Facility, the Optical Imaging Facility, and the Flow Cytometry …
Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Symposium: The Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Ethics, and Business of Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering
Tuesday, November 27 at 8:30am Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Midtown at USC 3540 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007 Co-hosted by USC Stem Cell and the USC Medicine, Engineering, Science and Humanities (MESH) Academy Register now! https://usckeck.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cv8EN9NIK8kWpql PROGRAM Session 1: Disease Modeling and Tissue Engineering Session 2: Chemistry and Translation Session 3: New Technologies …
Zebrafish make waves in our understanding of a common craniofacial birth defect
Children are not as hard-headed as adults—in a very literal sense. Babies are born with soft spots and flexible joints called sutures at the junctions where various sections of their skull bones meet. If these sutures fuse prematurely, the skull cannot expand to accommodate the child’s growing brain—a serious birth defect called craniosynostosis that can …
USC Stem Cell and BCRegMed Virtual Symposium brings Canada to California
It didn’t require plane tickets to bring together scientists from USC Stem Cell in Los Angeles and BCRegMed in Vancouver. During October’s Virtual Symposium, videoconferencing technology enabled these scientists to share ideas as if they were sitting in the same conference room—even though they were more than 1,200 miles apart.
Out of the woods: USC alumna and nature lover Anna Kuehl finds hope to restore her vision
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Anna Kuehl who loved exploring the nature surrounding her home in the Bavarian Forest. Located northeast of Munich not far from the German-Czech border, this verdant landscape, called Bayerischer Wald, is a wooded, low-mountain region. Kuehl’s childhood took place in this idyllic setting, a beautiful …
Yang Chai elected to National Academy of Medicine
Yang Chai, associate dean of research at the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), a membership that is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. Chai is also a professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, and the …
CIRM Stem Cell Awareness Day: Science Career Videos
In honor of CIRM’s Stem Cell Awareness Day, USC Stem Cell invites you to explore careers in science. Meet progressive master’s student Carina Seah, PhD student Kimberley Babos, postdoc Jorge Contreras and clinical fellow Abigail Zamora.
USC Stem Cell scientist Andy McMahon and collaborators tune into the organ concert
Every minute of every day, your organs are using a complex language to communicate with each other about the basic physiological processes necessary for life—everything from blood pressure regulation to pH balance to metabolism. To decipher this little-known language, USC Stem Cell scientist Andy McMahon has joined forces with top scientists at Harvard and Stanford …
All about egg freezing: A Q&A with Dr. Richard J. Paulson, USC Fertility
If you’re not going to complete your family by age 35, it’s time to freeze your eggs, according to Dr. Richard J. Paulson, director of USC Fertility. Egg freezing offers a shot at pausing the biological clock for patients who wish to preserve their fertility into their late forties. Even though eggs can be frozen …
USC Stem Cell scientist D’Juan Famer named Howard Hughes Medical Institute Hanna H. Gray Fellow
A little over a year after arriving at USC, D’Juan Farmer has been awarded one of the most prestigious fellowships available to postdoctoral fellows. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program supports early-career life scientists from groups underrepresented in the life sciences. The fellows receive up to $1.4 million in funding …
At the retreat for USC’s stem cell department, the students become the masters
Students and trainees took center stage at the annual retreat for USC’s Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. They presented their latest research to the 180 stem cell scientists who gathered at the event, held at the Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook, California this September.
A joint effort to understand cartilage development
Anyone with arthritis can appreciate how useful it would be if scientists could grow cartilage in the lab. To this end, Keck School of Medicine of USC scientists in the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Denis Evseenko, MD, PhD, collaborated with colleagues at several institutions to provide new insights into how gene activity drives the …
The USC scientist who aims to beat ALS, and the patients cheering him on
Justin Ichida regularly gets emails from strangers asking an urgent question: Will your research on ALS be done in time to save my life? “I don’t really know them, but they tell me their whole story,” said Ichida, a scientist with the USC Stem Cell program. “They’ll ask, ‘How long is it going to take …
USC Stem Cell scientists Neil Segil and Qi-Long Ying awarded NIH grants
Two USC Stem Cell scientists have received new research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Request for Proposals: Eli and Edythe Broad Fellowship Award
A recent gift from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation established the Eli and Edythe Broad Society of Fellows at USC. An annual fellowship award of $80,000 that includes one year of salary and research support will be made to an exceptional senior postdoctoral researcher within USC’s stem cell research center. This investment and prestigious …
The Baxter Foundation awards grants to USC researchers Michael Bonaguidi and Sanda Win
From the brain to the bile, the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation is supporting innovative medical research by granting $100,000 awards to two assistant professors: Michael Bonaguidi in the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine; and Sanda Win in the Department of Medicine’s GI/Liver Division.
AcuraStem, USC and Icagen to collaborate on fast track SBIR grant for the development of a novel small molecule therapy to treat ALS
AcuraStem, an early stage biotech company located in Los Angeles, and Justin Ichida at USC have been awarded a $3.7 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) FastTrack grant by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to continue research they are conducting with Icagen, Inc. for the development of a small molecule therapeutic …
A Fox code for the face
In the developing face, how do stem cells know whether to become cartilage, bones or teeth? To begin to answer this question, scientists from the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Gage Crump tested the role of a key family of genes, called “Forkhead-domain transcription factors,” or Fox. Their findings appear in the journal Development.
