USC Stem Cell-led study generates authentic embryonic stem cell 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 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 …
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: 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: 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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
An earful of gill: USC Stem Cell study points to the evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear
The outer ear is unique to mammals, but its evolutionary origin has remained a mystery. According to a new study published in Nature from the USC Stem Cell lab of Gage Crump, …
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 …
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 …
Keck School of Medicine celebrates faculty achievements at annual awards ceremony
The 2024 Faculty Awards and Recognition Ceremony was a night of recognition and reflection as Dean Carolyn C. Meltzer, the Keck School Faculty Council and the Office of Faculty Affairs, Advancement, and …
Amy Merrill-Brugger receives funding to dig into craniofacial development
Amy Merrill PhD ’04 has recently received an eight-year grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AMY MERRILL is driven by the desire to impact clinical care …
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 …
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 …