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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 …

From right, Dean Carolyn Meltzer, Senta Georgia, and Charles (Chuck) Murry (Photo courtesy of Charles (Chuck) Murry); featured image for Keck School of Medicine celebrates faculty achievements at annual awards ceremony

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 …

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 …

(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 …

Jay Lieberman, MD, chair and professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Photo/Ricardo Carrasco III; featured image for Keck School of Medicine of USC orthopaedic surgery chair elected as 2024 AAAS fellow

Keck School of Medicine of USC orthopaedic surgery chair elected as 2024 AAAS fellow

Jay Lieberman, MD, has been recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for groundbreaking research in gene therapy and work improving joint replacement surgery. The American Association for the …

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 …

Yang Chai (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for Ostrow’s Associate Dean of Research Yang Chai inducted into NAI senior class of 2024

Ostrow’s Associate Dean of Research Yang Chai inducted into NAI senior class of 2024

The distinction goes to inventors in higher education who could bring impact to the welfare of society. Associate Dean of Research Yang Chai has earned a prestigious accolade for his transformative research related …

Kidney organoids with proximal tubules (Image by Jack Schnell/Lindström Lab); featured image for $3.95 million CIRM grant establishes USC ASCEND Center to make stem cell-derived  organ models accessible to all

$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 …

Clockwise from top left – Yang Chai, Denis Evseenko, Peter Kuhn and Justin Ichida, NAI 2024 class of senior members. (Chai photo/ Chris Shinn; Evseenko and Ichida photos/Richard Carrasco; Kuhn photo/Peter Zhaoyu Zhou); featured image for National Academy of Inventors elects four Keck School of Medicine of USC faculty as senior members

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 …

Oliver Bell and Daniel Bsteh; featured image for USC Stem Cell study throws our understanding of gene regulation for a loop

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 …

Building an Incubator for Medicine of the 21st Century; featured image for Building an Incubator for Medicine of the 21st Century

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.

Justin Ichida (Photo by Ben Gibbs); featured image for 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 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 …

(Image courtesy of the Chen Lab); featured image for A new way to treat craniosynostosis?

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 …

(Image courtesy of iStock); featured image for $2 million grant boosts technological advancements in cutting-edge cell therapy manufacturing facility

$2 million grant boosts technological advancements in cutting-edge cell therapy manufacturing facility

The Keck School of Medicine of USC has received $2 million from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to further augment its newly launched cGMP Laboratory, a state-of-the-art facility designed to …

Amy Merrill-Brugger (Photo by Phil Channing); featured image for Inside the hunt to understand developing baby skulls

Inside the hunt to understand developing baby skulls

If you’ve ever held a baby, you probably remember soft spots on their heads — space for the developing skulls to grow around the brain. When the system works correctly, it leaves …

Neural stem cells derived from patients with ALS or frontotemporal dementia (Image by Eric Hendricks/Ichida Lab); featured image for ALS and frontotemporal dementia show origins in utero, according to evidence from mice and patient-derived stem cells

ALS and frontotemporal dementia show origins in utero, according to evidence from mice and patient-derived stem cells

Even though neurodegenerative diseases often strike in middle age or later, patients could have structural differences in their brains that arise before birth. In a new study in Cell Reports, USC Stem …

A green anole lizard regenerating its tail (Image by Ariel Vonk/ Lozito Lab); featured image for Researchers unlock mystery of cartilage regeneration in lizards

Researchers unlock mystery of cartilage regeneration in lizards

Scientists from the Keck School of Medicine of USC identify key cells involved in the process of cartilage regeneration in lizards—a discovery that could offer insights into novel approaches to treating osteoarthritis. …

Alma Zuniga Munoz and Albert Almada (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for Stem Cell PhD student Alma Zuniga Munoz wins USC’s first Gilliam Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Stem Cell PhD student Alma Zuniga Munoz wins USC’s first Gilliam Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Alma Zuniga Munoz, a student in USC’s PhD program in Development, Stem Cells, and Regeneration, is used to being the first. She’s a first-generation American, the first member of her extended family …

(Image courtesy of iStock); featured image for For dogs with arthritis, pet pain relief effort could be a game-changer

For dogs with arthritis, pet pain relief effort could be a game-changer

A USC researcher is launching a biopharmaceutical startup with backing from the university to develop a drug to slow premature aging and arthritis — in dogs. Denis Evseenko, a professor of orthopedic …

Yang Chai (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for University Professor Yang Chai wins 2023 Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s Paul Goldhaber Award

University Professor Yang Chai wins 2023 Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s Paul Goldhaber Award

Yang Chai, the associate dean of research for the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, has been awarded the 2023 Paul Goldhaber Award by the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. The highest …