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Noah Merin (Photo courtesy of Cedars-Sinai); featured image for Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Noah Merin, Assistant Professor at 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 …

CIRM training program alumna Suhasni Gopalakrishnan with her mentor Neil Segil at USC (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for USC trains biotech leaders, thanks to state stem cell funding

USC trains biotech leaders, thanks to state stem cell funding

To accelerate stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has always recognized the need to educate and train a scientific workforce. Since 2006, …

Catcher Salazar (Photo courtesy of Catcher Salazar); featured image for USC Dornsife undergraduates Catcher Salazar and Jason Toliao earn prestigious Goldwater scholarships

USC Dornsife undergraduates Catcher Salazar and Jason Toliao earn prestigious Goldwater scholarships

Aimed at identifying and nurturing scientific talent, the scholarships support students focused on developmental biology and pediatric neurology. The Goldwater scholarships, administered by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, …

Pink test tube (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for 2025–2026 Broad Collaborative Challenge Grant for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

2025–2026 Broad Collaborative Challenge Grant for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

To stimulate interdisciplinary and creative trainee-directed stem cell research Overview USC Stem Cell invites applications for the Broad Collaborative Challenge Grant for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows. The goal of the program …

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. (Image courtesy of Pexels); featured image for New nanoparticle weapon in the fight against cardiovascular and kidney disease

New nanoparticle weapon in the fight against cardiovascular and kidney disease

The Chung Lab has engineered a new therapeutically enhanced, naturally derived particle for powerful gene therapies to tackle our most significant health challenges. Cardiovascular disease and kidney disease are two of the …

Denis Evseenko, MD, PhD and R. Rex Parris (Photo by Jeremi Peck); featured image for R. Rex and Carrol Parris make $10 Million gift to launch USC Longevity Research Accelerator at Keck School of Medicine

R. Rex and Carrol Parris make $10 Million gift to launch USC Longevity Research Accelerator at Keck School of Medicine

Experts in engineering, gerontology and stem cell research will collaborate to find treatments for age-related conditions like osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease. Keck School of Medicine of USC will launch a new research …

Class of 2025 BME graduate Alex Kuncz holding a crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) from New Caledonia. This is one of the few gecko species that do not regenerate their tails, which allows Kuncz and his colleagues to better study which cells and processes are responsible for regeneration. (Image courtesy of Alex Kuncz); featured image for Leaping lizards! Class of 2025 grad looks to reptiles to help ACL injuries

Leaping lizards! Class of 2025 grad looks to reptiles to help ACL injuries

Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering graduating senior Alex Kuncz is studying how lizards regenerate their tails to improve orthopedic treatments. USC Viterbi graduating BME senior Alex Kuncz wants to help …

At Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Joey is researching biomarkers for autism in children. (Photos courtesy of Joey Yap); featured image for Turning brainwaves into biomarkers: How a USC grad is using code to improve early autism intervention

Turning brainwaves into biomarkers: How a USC grad is using code to improve early autism intervention

After starting with Minecraft mods at 13, Joey Yap now applies his skills in signal processing to pediatric brain data and is headed to NYU for a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. This …

At the lab bench (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for 2025 Call for Applications: NIH T32 PhD Fellowships in Developmental Biology, Stem Cells, and Regeneration

2025 Call for Applications: NIH T32 PhD Fellowships in Developmental Biology, Stem Cells, and Regeneration

All PhD students who are conducting research related to developmental biology, stem cell biology, and/or regenerative medicine are encouraged to apply for a training fellowship. We have two slots available for a …

USC CIRM COMPASS scholars with stem cell faculty members Senta Georgia, Francesca Mariani and Louise Menendez (Photo courtesy of Senta Georgia); featured image for Guided by COMPASS, USC undergraduates navigate stem cell research at inaugural symposium

Guided by COMPASS, USC undergraduates navigate stem cell research at inaugural symposium

Thirty undergraduates gathered to share their research at the first year-end symposium for USC CIRM COMPASS, a comprehensive two-year program designed to prepare juniors and seniors for careers in stem cell biology …

Students at the Keck School of Medicine of USC (Photo by William Vasta); featured image for Meet the nine scholarship winners in USC’s stem cell master’s program

Meet the nine scholarship winners in USC’s stem cell master’s program

This year, philanthropic giving supported scholarships for nine students in USC’s master of science (MS) program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Launched in 2014 as one of the only programs …

(Image courtesy of iStock); featured image for USC team develops a powerful new analytical tool to advance CAR T cell therapy research

USC team develops a powerful new analytical tool to advance CAR T cell therapy research

The comprehensive analytical platform uses laser technology to analyze CAR T cells and has already revealed ways to optimize their manufacturing, including how to identify when CAR T cells are likely to …

On the left, the computer screen displays the video image and two OCT images taken during the surgery. On the right, Oghalai is collecting data while performing the surgery. (Photo by John Oghalai); featured image for An innovative approach to hearing loss: John Oghalai receives R01 grant for OCT imaging of the human inner ear

An innovative approach to hearing loss: John Oghalai receives R01 grant for OCT imaging of the human inner ear

Over 615,000 people in the United States alone are affected by Meniere’s disease, a problem of the inner ear that can lead to vertigo (dizziness) and hearing loss, and many more experience …

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 …

A time-lapse shows the Wang Lab’s EchoBack CAR T-cells attacking a large tumor mass. The green labeled points are the tumor cells. (Image by Longwei Liu/Wang Lab); featured image for New “smart” immune cells: A breakthrough for long-lasting tumor destruction

New “smart” immune cells: A breakthrough for long-lasting tumor destruction

USC Viterbi researchers have engineered a new immune cell that when activated by ultrasound can continuously sense and destroy cancer cells for extended periods. Imagine a super-charged immune cell that can launch …

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 …

Yali Dou, PhD, Marion and Harry Keiper Chair in Cancer Research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and associate director for basic research at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been elected an AAAS 2025 fellow. (Photo by Steve Cohn); featured image for AAAS elects Keck School of Medicine of USC molecular biologist Yali Dou as 2025 fellow

AAAS elects Keck School of Medicine of USC molecular biologist Yali Dou as 2025 fellow

Dou has broken new ground in the basic understanding of an enzyme that can cause leukemia and other cancers, and harnessed that knowledge at USC to develop potential therapies. Molecular biologist Yali …

Preet M. Chaudhary, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine, the Bloom Family Chair in Lymphoma Research, chief of the Nohl Division of Hematology (Photo courtesy of USC); featured image for Two USC innovators—Preet Chaudhary and Michael Selsted—honored by the National Academy of Inventors

Two USC innovators—Preet Chaudhary and Michael Selsted—honored by the National Academy of Inventors

Harnessing the body’s natural defenses, these researchers are advancing the future of immune-based treatments to develop breakthroughs in treating diseases ranging from rheumatoid arthritis and sepsis to cancer. Two researchers from the …

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 …