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Chuck Murry in the third-grade class at Vermont Avenue Elementary School (Photo by DJ Kast); featured image for USC Stem Cell’s Chuck Murry shows heart for local third-graders through the medical and cancer STEM programs

USC Stem Cell’s Chuck Murry shows heart for local third-graders through the medical and cancer STEM programs

USC’s Medical STEM Program brings pig hearts, pulse oximeters, and a world of possibility to local third graders. At Vermont Avenue Elementary School, a class of third graders stared wide-eyed as Chuck …

Biomedical engineers at USC Viterbi are using ultrasound to trick tumor cells into effectively painting a target on their own backs, enabling more powerful treatments. Image/ChatGPT.; featured image for Tricking tumors into marking themselves for destruction

Tricking tumors into marking themselves for destruction

New research from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering harnesses focused ultrasound to reprogram solid tumors, making them more effective targets for immune cells. USC biomedical engineers have found a way to …

Cellular extracellular vessicles; featured image for What if cells could talk and fight heart disease?

What if cells could talk and fight heart disease?

USC Viterbi’s Chung Lab has engineered a naturally derived particle for powerful therapies against cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Have you seen the latest EV models? Nope, not the Tesla Model 3. Think …

Cancer associated cells identified by the rare event detector in patients with breast cancer, image courtesy of the Oberai and Kuhn research groups at USC.; featured image for Researchers invent new AI tool to automate detection of cancer in blood samples

Researchers invent new AI tool to automate detection of cancer in blood samples

Innovation detects cancer cells in blood samples (liquid biopsies) in as little as 10 minutes and identifies hard-to-find cells without humans in-the-loop. When cancer spreads, tiny amounts of cells can break away …

Elena Vasileva, PhD, and James Amatruda, MD, PhD; featured image for Discovery may point to cell of origin for Ewing sarcoma

Discovery may point to cell of origin for Ewing sarcoma

New study suggests that neural crest cells are reprogrammed into tumor-forming cells, reshaping the understanding of this childhood cancer. For decades, scientists have been puzzled by two enduring mysteries around Ewing sarcoma. …

From left, Denis Evseenko and Toby Maher; featured image for USC physician-scientists Denis Evseenko and Toby Maher win $3.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to develop regenerative drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

USC physician-scientists Denis Evseenko and Toby Maher win $3.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to develop regenerative drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

It might start with a shortness of breath that’s easily dismissed as getting older or needing more exercise. But for the nearly 3 million patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), this subtle …

Genetically engineered chimeric antigen receptor immune cell (image courtesy of iStock); featured image for Next-generation CAR T cells could expand solid cancer treatment options

Next-generation CAR T cells could expand solid cancer treatment options

Using cell cultures and animal models, researchers from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck School of Medicine of USC showed that innovative ways to further engineer CAR T cells can …

Embryonic stem cells from a Barred Plymouth Rock chicken (Image by Xi Chen/Ying Lab/USC Stem Cell); featured image for USC Stem Cell-led study generates authentic embryonic stem cells from birds

USC Stem Cell-led study generates authentic embryonic stem cells 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 …

; featured image for USC Stem Cell students and trainees win $15,000 collaborative research grants

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 …

Guanyi Huang (Photo courtesy of Guanyi Huang); featured image for Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Guanyi Huang, Associate Principal Scientist at Merck

Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Guanyi Huang, Associate Principal Scientist at Merck

Guanyi Huang, associate principal scientist at Merck, has often found himself in the right place at the right time. The son of a middle school math teacher and computer science professor-turned-entrepreneur, Huang …

Suhasni Gopalakrishnan at the Base Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile. (Photo by Arvind Baskaran); featured image for Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Suhasni Gopalakrishnan, Director at Allogene Therapeutics

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …