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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 …

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 …

Ellis Meng, the Shelly and Ofer Nemirovsky Chair in Convergent Bioscience and professor of biomedical engineering and electrical and computer engineering (Photo courtesy of USC Viterbi); featured image for Revolutionizing heart care for newborns

Revolutionizing heart care for newborns

Ellis Meng’s team pioneers non-invasive shunt monitoring to improve survival rates for young patients with congenital heart defect. In pediatric cardiology, every heartbeat counts, especially for the one in 4,000 newborns born …

Illustration of man lifting weights by a refrigerator (Illustrations by Drue Wagner); featured image for Turn back the clock on aging

Turn back the clock on aging

There’s no way to stop the march of time, but innovative research by USC scholars points the way to a longer, healthier and more vibrant life. About 10 years ago, when George …

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 …

Pinchas Cohen (left) in the lab (Photo courtesy of the USC Davis School of Gerontology); featured image for A powerhouse of innovation

A powerhouse of innovation

How a serendipitous discovery led by Pinchas Cohen more than 20 years ago opened a new chapter in biology and made the USC Leonard Davis School a leading force in unraveling the …

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 …

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 …

Charles (Chuck) Murry (Photo by Gavin Sisk/ University of Washington); featured image for USC Stem Cell welcomes new leader, renowned physician-scientist Chuck Murry

USC Stem Cell welcomes new leader, renowned physician-scientist Chuck Murry

Charles (Chuck) Murry, MD, PhD, has been appointed as the next head of USC Stem Cell. In that capacity, he will be the chair of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and …

The B cell research is an important advance in treating conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s to arthritis. (Illustration/iStock); featured image for USC researchers turn the body’s B cells into tiny surveillance machines, antibody factories

USC researchers turn the body’s B cells into tiny surveillance machines, antibody factories

The technology could be used to treat or prevent chronic diseases or infections such as HIV. USC scientists have discovered a way to turn the body’s B cells into tiny surveillance machines …

New pilot grants will forge collaborations between researchers at Keck School of Medicine of USC and the Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering. (Image courtesy of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering); featured image for Forging research partnerships for future medical breakthroughs

Forging research partnerships for future medical breakthroughs

New Mann Engineering in Medicine Pilot Grants program will build ongoing research collaborations between USC Viterbi School of Engineering and Keck School of Medicine of USC. The lifesaving medical discoveries and therapeutics …

Keyue Shen; featured image for Unraveling the mysteries of stem cells

Unraveling the mysteries of stem cells

New research harnesses machine learning and imaging to give unprecedented insight into stem cell behavior that could enable future lifesaving therapies. Stem cells are like the emergency tool kit of the human …

Paula Cannon, PhD, at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy 27th Annual Meeting in Baltimore.; featured image for USC scientist Paula Cannon takes the reins as president of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy

USC scientist Paula Cannon takes the reins as president of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy

Paula Cannon, a Distinguished Professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, heads the world’s largest organization devoted to developing next-generation therapies that address the underlying causes of disease. USC geneticist …

Bérénice Benayoun; featured image for USC Leonard Davis Faculty Member Receives 2024 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star in Aging Research Award

USC Leonard Davis Faculty Member Receives 2024 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star in Aging Research Award

The American Federation for Aging Research recognized Associate Professor Bérénice Benayoun for her exemplary research contributions. USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology Associate Professor Bérénice Benayoun has received the 2024 Vincent Cristofalo …

(Image courtesy of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC); featured image for A better understanding of tissue regeneration

A better understanding of tissue regeneration

Ostrow researchers probe how vasculature impacts stem cell diversity. The new study could lead to better treatments for tissue regeneration. Stem cells don’t exist alone. They are part of a community, and …

Lines of green fluorescent protein (GFP) show cells lighting up red and turning into muscle cells on the GFP scaffold. (Image by Mher Garibyan); featured image for A green light to build muscle cells on command

A green light to build muscle cells on command

It may sound like something from science fiction. To grow and modify muscle tissue in the lab using technology that shapes the muscle cells, blood vessels and nerves into whatever pattern you …