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Muscles and Skeleton News
Developing zebrafish skeleton showing a gene called Sox9 (green) in cartilage-producing cells. (Image by Xinjun He/McMahon Lab); featured image for USC Stem Cell researchers reveal a genetic blueprint for cartilage

USC Stem Cell researchers reveal a genetic blueprint for cartilage

Cartilage does a lot more than determine the shapes of people’s ears and noses. It also enables people to breathe and to form healthy bones — two processes essential to life. In …

Amy Merrill-Brugger (Photo courtesy of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC); featured image for Amy Merrill-Brugger receives $2 million NIH grant for craniofacial birth defect research

Amy Merrill-Brugger receives $2 million NIH grant for craniofacial birth defect research

USC Stem Cell principal investigator Amy Merrill-Brugger received the National Institute of Health Research Project Grant (R01) for her scientific investigation on inherited human conditions that cause facial bones to develop abnormally.

Fresh veggies, anyone? (Photo by Bob Nichols); featured image for Diet that mimics fasting appears to slow aging

Diet that mimics fasting appears to slow aging

Want to lose abdominal fat, get smarter and live longer? New research led by USC Stem Cell principal investigator Valter Longo shows that periodically adopting a diet that mimics the effects of …

Tooth enamel damage (Image courtesy of the NIH); featured image for Researchers discover key player in enamel regeneration

Researchers discover key player in enamel regeneration

USC researchers are closer than ever to being able to regrow enamel, thanks in part to a recent scientific discovery published in the latest issue of the journal Biomaterials. In the article, …

Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for Take a tour of USC’s stem cell research center

Take a tour of USC’s stem cell research center

Video by Alric Devotta Director Andy McMahon leads a tour of the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC.

Yang Chai (Photo courtesy of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC); featured image for USC researchers move one step closer to natural tooth restorations

USC researchers move one step closer to natural tooth restorations

A rodent’s incisors never stop growing. It’s one of the reasons mice gnaw through cupboards, hamsters chomp mindlessly on metal cage bars and rats will chew through, well, just about anything. They …

Jay R. Lieberman is the new president of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS).; featured image for Lieberman takes office as 25th president of national association

Lieberman takes office as 25th president of national association

Jay R. Lieberman, a principal investigator with USC Stem Cell, is the new president of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS). He is professor and chair of the Department …

Quorum sensing in hair population regeneration (Image courtesy of Cheng-Ming Chuong); featured image for USC researcher plucks hair to grow hair

USC researcher plucks hair to grow hair

If there’s a cure for male pattern baldness, it might hurt a little. A team led by USC Stem Cell Principal Investigator Cheng-Ming Chuong has demonstrated that by plucking 200 hairs in …

Yang Chai (Photo courtesy of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC); featured image for Discovery could lead to biological treatment for common birth defect

Discovery could lead to biological treatment for common birth defect

Throughout every human and animal’s body, stem cell populations are responsible for the growth, regeneration and repair of tissues. While the power of some types of stem cells is already being used …

Clockwise from upper left: Hao Yuan Kueh, Florian Merkle, Robert A.J. Signer, members of the audience, Pedro Batista and Joseph T. Rodgers (Photos by Cristy Lytal); featured image for USC mini-symposium showcases the next generation of top stem cell scientists

USC mini-symposium showcases the next generation of top stem cell scientists

Obesity, narcolepsy, leukemia and muscle injuries have at least one thing in common: they are engaging the next generation of top stem cell scientists. Five of these scientists presented their research at …

USC PhD student Louise Menendez examines the prototype of a potential device to treat patients with liver disease. (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for “Million-dollar ideas” seminar

“Million-dollar ideas” seminar

At a special seminar on February 24, USC Stem Cell Principal Investigators discussed their “million-dollar ideas” for creating new tools and technologies to usher in the era of regenerative medicine. They shared …

Janet Moradian-Oldak (Photo courtesy of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC); featured image for Janet Moradian-Oldak Receives 2015 IADR Innovation in Oral Care Award

Janet Moradian-Oldak Receives 2015 IADR Innovation in Oral Care Award

USC Stem Cell principal investigator Janet Moradian-Oldak has earned a 2015 IADR Innovation in Oral Care Award. The prestigious award, which can be worth up to $75,000 and lasts one year, was …

From left, Toshio Miki, Qi-Long Ying, Paula Cannon (Photos by Cristy Lytal and Don Milici); featured image for Three USC researchers win $4.3 million in awards from California’s stem cell agency

Three USC researchers win $4.3 million in awards from California’s stem cell agency

Three scientists from Keck Medicine of USC have won grants exceeding $4.3 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for research that includes creating a temporary liver for patients, finding …

Cheng-Ming Chuong (Photo courtesy of Cheng-Ming Chuong); featured image for USC Stem Cell researcher Cheng-Ming Chuong named fellow of national science association

USC Stem Cell researcher Cheng-Ming Chuong named fellow of national science association

Keck School of Medicine of USC scientist Cheng-Ming Chuong has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Chuong, professor of pathology at the Keck School …

Stem cells in a mouse nail (Image courtesy of the Krzysztof Kobielak lab); featured image for Nail stem cells prove more versatile than press ons

Nail stem cells prove more versatile than press ons

A team of USC Stem Cell researchers led by principal investigator Krzysztof Kobielak and co-first authors Yvonne Leung and Eve Kandyba has identified a new population of nail stem cells, which have …

The labs of Raymond C. Stevens, right, and Peter Kuhn will bring a cohort of approximately 50 researchers to USC. Their labs will be housed in the new USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience. (Photo by Ryan Young); featured image for USC recruits renowned leaders in molecular research

USC recruits renowned leaders in molecular research

Raymond C. Stevens and Peter Kuhn have been named Provost Professor of Biological Sciences and Chemistry and Dean’s Professor of Biological Sciences, respectively. The announcements were made by Provost Elizabeth Garrett and …

Dissection of the larval zebrafish skeleton shows facial cartilage (blue) and bone (red) (Image courtesy of the Crump Lab); featured image for USC researchers reveal how gene expression affects facial expressions

USC researchers reveal how gene expression affects facial expressions

A person’s face is the first thing that others see, and much remains unknown about how it forms — or malforms — during early development. Recently, Chong Pyo Choe, a senior postdoctoral fellow working …

Mouse rib cage stained to show cartilage (blue) and bone (red). In adult mice, surgically removed sections of either portion can fully regenerate. (Image by Francesca Mariani); featured image for USC researchers discover the healing power of “rib tickling”

USC researchers discover the healing power of “rib tickling”

Unlike salamanders, mammals can’t regenerate lost limbs, but they can repair large sections of their ribs. In a new study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, a team directed by …

Human skull with sutures; featured image for USC, UCLA and UCSF put their heads together to find stem cell-based cures for craniofacial defects

USC, UCLA and UCSF put their heads together to find stem cell-based cures for craniofacial defects

One in every 2,000 babies is born with a skull that can’t grow normally. Various sections of these babies’ skulls are fused together at joints called sutures, constricting the developing brain and …

Multi-well plate (Image courtesy of the National Institutes of Health); featured image for USC Stem Cell and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center accelerate drug discovery

USC Stem Cell and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center accelerate drug discovery

Three teams of USC stem cell researchers have won a coveted prize — the opportunity to test 3,000 drug candidates or chemicals for the potential to help patients. Two teams will focus …