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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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Tau protein in the brain of a mouse with a mutation that causes a common form of dementia (Image by Joshua Berlind/Ichida Lab/USC Stem Cell); featured image for How to clear the toxic tau protein that can lead to Alzheimer’s and related diseases

How to clear the toxic tau protein that can lead to Alzheimer’s and related diseases

USC Stem Cell scientists discover a new way to rid cells of toxic tau protein in a study involving mice and lab-grown human “mini-brains,” known as organoids. The neurotransmitter glutamate is essential …

Illustration of sound waves entering the ear (Image courtesy of iStock); featured image for Nerve fibers in the inner ear adjust sound levels and help compensate for hearing loss in mice, study finds

Nerve fibers in the inner ear adjust sound levels and help compensate for hearing loss in mice, study finds

Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, used an innovative imaging tool to examine the mouse inner ear and made …

Pinchas Cohen; featured image for Gerontology Dean Pinchas Cohen named senior member of the National Academy of Inventors

Gerontology Dean Pinchas Cohen named senior member of the National Academy of Inventors

Cohen, an expert on mitochondrial microproteins and their therapeutic potential for diseases related to aging, holds several patents for novel peptides. Pinchas Cohen, Dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, …

A gene control element for human outer ear development shows activity in the gills (green) of a 2-week old zebrafish (Image by Mathi Thiruppathy/Crump Lab/USC Stem Cell); featured image for An earful of gill: USC Stem Cell study points to the evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear

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, …

Eye (Image courtesy of iStock); featured image for Up to $47 million award supports collaborative eye transplant research co-led by USC

Up to $47 million award supports collaborative eye transplant research co-led by USC

An ambitious endeavor to restore sight unites the Keck School of Medicine of USC with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and several other institutions from academia and beyond. A federal …

Caregiver with older woman (Image courtesy of iStock); featured image for USC selected to receive $3.4 million award from ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health

USC selected to receive $3.4 million award from ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health

The grant will fund Keck School of Medicine of USC research to test an innovative therapy to slow age-related cognitive decline. A team of researchers at The Keck School of Medicine of …

In the zebrafish inner ear, a cell type known as supporting cells (magenta) gives rise to new sensory hearing cells (blue). The study reveals a set of DNA control elements critical for supporting cells to regenerate hair cells after injury in zebrafish, lizards and other regenerative species. (Image by Tuo Shi/Crump and Lozito labs/USC Stem Cell); featured image for USC Stem Cell study breaks the silence on how fish and lizards regenerate hearing

USC Stem Cell study breaks the silence on how fish and lizards regenerate hearing

A new USC Stem Cell study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has identified key gene regulators that enable some deafened animals—including fish and lizards—to naturally regenerate …

Newborn neuron (green and purple cell) in brain tissue from patients with epilepsy (Image by Aswathy Ammothumkandy/Bonaguidi Lab/USC Stem Cell); featured image for To remember conversations, keep making new brain cells

To remember conversations, keep making new brain cells

USC-led study of patients with epilepsy shows how making new neurons benefits cognition in adults. Why do adults make new brain cells? A new study published in Cell Stem Cell provides the …

Brain illustration (Illustration by David Plunkett); featured image for Brilliant minds, healthy brains

Brilliant minds, healthy brains

USC brain researchers are finding novel ways to image, detect and treat diseases. This spring, scientists from the Keck School of Medicine of USC opened a new window into understanding the brain …

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 …

Eye (Image courtesy of iStock); featured image for $6 million grant drives potential treatment for common cause of vision loss toward the clinic

$6 million grant drives potential treatment for common cause of vision loss toward the clinic

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has funded Keck School of Medicine of USC translational research advancing a therapy for dry age-related macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness …

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 …

Charles Liu; featured image for Turning memory loss into a distant memory

Turning memory loss into a distant memory

USC Viterbi and Keck School of Medicine of USC have been collaborating on human trials for a revolutionary brain prosthesis to repair and restore lost memories. Do you remember the details of …