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 …
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 …
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 …
USC researchers pioneer new brain imaging technique through clear “window” in patient’s skull
In a proof-of-concept study, a research team based at the Keck School of Medicine of USC showed that functional ultrasound imaging can record brain activity through a transparent skull implant. In the …
From electrical engineering to the inner ear: how Radha Kalluri uses the physical sciences to address otolaryngology’s most pressing issues
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Parents, teachers, relatives, and friends ask this question over and over as one transitions from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to adulthood, …
Pinchas Cohen named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
AAAS recognized Cohen for “distinguished contributions to the fields of aging research and molecular biology, particularly using mitochondrial peptides to study possible therapeutic benefits for diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases related to …
Organoids reveal how to protect the brain against dementia and ALS following traumatic injury, according to USC Stem Cell study
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can quadruple your risk for developing dementia, and also increase your chances of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS. In a new study published in Cell Stem …
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 …
Newly discovered beneficial mutation in mitochondrial DNA appears to help Alzheimer’s gene carriers live longer, stay sharper and represents a new direction in drug discovery
Findings suggest the rare variant prevents Alzheimer’s onset by clearing away amyloid-beta buildup in long-lived carriers of APOE4, the gene most strongly associated with disease risk. Researchers at the USC Leonard Davis …
$3.95 million CIRM grant establishes USC ASCEND Center to make stem cell-derived organ models accessible to all
To democratize access to lab-grown organ-like structures known as organoids and other advanced stem cell and transcriptomic technologies, USC will launch the CIRM ASCEND Center, dedicated to “Advancing Stem Cell Education and …
National Academy of Inventors elects four Keck School of Medicine of USC faculty as senior members
The National Academy of Inventors (NAI), a nonprofit member organization that encourages inventors in higher education, has announced that four researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC are part of …
USC Stem Cell study throws our understanding of gene regulation for a loop
The blueprint for human life lies within the DNA in the nucleus of each of our cells. In human cells, around six and a half feet of this genetic material must be …
One size doesn’t fit all
How the sexes age differently, and what that might mean for scientists, doctors and patients. When we study aging, who are we really studying? Men? Or women? Does it even matter? Bérénice …
Eat well, age well
Diet interacts with genetics and impacts the way we age. Here’s what USC researchers are finding out about nutrition and healthy aging. The old adage “You are what you eat” may be …
USC Stem Cell scientists develop a game-changing organoid model to study human cerebellar development and disease
In a first for USC Stem Cell scientists, the laboratory of Giorgia Quadrato, an assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, has pioneered a novel human brain organoid model that …
Newly discovered genetic mutation protects against Parkinson’s disease and offers hope for new therapies
Beneficial variant is a mitochondrial microprotein that could be key to developing future pharmaceutical interventions. A previously unidentified genetic mutation in a small protein provides significant protection against Parkinson’s disease and offers …
Building an Incubator for Medicine of the 21st Century
USC Stem Cell is pleased to introduce our new publication. We hope you’ll enjoy reflecting back on our history, while looking ahead to the transformative times to come. Read now at https://stemcell.keck.usc.edu/wp-content/themes/stemcell/incubator.
The Autism-linked gene SYNGAP1 could impact early stages of human brain development, USC study reveals
New research shows that variants of SYNGAP1, a gene previously thought only to affect synapses between mature neurons, may disrupt early development in the brain’s cortex, a region involved in higher-order cognitive …
USC Stem Cell research from Justin Ichida’s lab advances toward clinical development for ALS, following a license agreement between companies Takeda and AcuraStem
USC Stem Cell scientist Justin Ichida has learned to inhabit two worlds: the university where his lab makes discoveries, and the companies that can help commercialize these discoveries into new treatments for …
A new way to treat craniosynostosis?
Craniosynostosis is a birth defect in which the bones in a baby’s skull fuse too early — before the brain is fully formed. It happens in 1 in nearly 2,200 births and …