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Justin Ichida (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for The Baxter Foundation supports innovative, young medical researchers at USC

The Baxter Foundation supports innovative, young medical researchers at USC

In 1959, the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation made its first grant of $6,000 to USC. Fifty-five years later, the foundation continues its tradition of supporting innovative medical research with …

A look inside the ear of a mouse, with the middle ear ossicles off-centered (Image by Camilla Teng); featured image for Winner of the January 2014 USC Stem Cell Image of the Month Contest

Winner of the January 2014 USC Stem Cell Image of the Month Contest

Dr. Andy McMahon and the judges of the USC Stem Cell Image of the Month contest would like to congratulate our January 2014 winner, Camilla Teng, a graduate student in Dr. Rob …

The inferior alveolar nerve provides a niche for stem cells that maintain incisor homeostasis. When the nerve is severed, homeostasis is disrupted and within one month the affected incisor becomes chalky and breaks. (Photos/courtesy of Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology); featured image for Dental study provides wealth of stem cell details

Dental study provides wealth of stem cell details

An Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC study has uncovered new details on how bundles of nerves and arteries interact with stem cells and also showcases revolutionary techniques for following the cells …

Valter Longo (Photo by Dietmar Quistorf); featured image for Valter Longo seeks a recipe for longevity

Valter Longo seeks a recipe for longevity

Video by the USC Davis School of Gerontology Valter Longo, PhD, principal investigator with USC Stem Cell, is out to prove that gerontology is a young man’s game — just like rock …

Research on age-related macular degeneration conducted by Mark Humayun, left, and David Hinton has been funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.; featured image for Clinical trial to study loss of vision

Clinical trial to study loss of vision

Keck Medicine of USC research to slow vision loss for macular degeneration patients has been funded as part of the third round of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s (CIRM) Disease Team …

AAAS logo; featured image for Robert Maxson and five other USC professors named fellows of AAAS

Robert Maxson and five other USC professors named fellows of AAAS

Robert Maxson Jr., an executive committee member of USC Stem Cell, is one of six USC scientists to be elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

From left to right: Marvin Nelson, MD, MBA, Rex Moats, PhD, Brent Polk, MD, Elizabeth Garrett, JD, Scott Fraser, PhD, Carmen Puliafito, MD, MBA (Photo courtesy of Children's Hospital Los Angeles)

USC and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles launch imaging lab for translational research

With the launch of the Translational Biomedical Imaging Lab (TBIL), investigators at the University of Southern California (USC) and The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles moved us closer to a …

Andy McMahon (Photo by Phil Channing); featured image for Hedgehog’s long snout finds a cure

Hedgehog’s long snout finds a cure

In 1993, the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) funded three researchers through one of the program’s prestigious Research Grants to work jointly on patterning of the mid-hindbrain region of the vertebrate embryo. …

Mark Humayun, who is holding the Argus II artificial retina implant, plans to emphasize clinical, research and educational missions as director of the USC Eye Institute. (Photo by Jon Nalick); featured image for Humayun named first director of USC Eye Institute

Humayun named first director of USC Eye Institute

University Professor Mark Humayun, internationally known for his work on the Argus II artificial retina implant intended to restore sight to the blind, has been named the inaugural director of the USC …

In the neural stem cells at the left, the protein SMEK1 (red) is localized in the nucleus (blue), while the protein PAR3 (green) is in the cytoplasm. When neural stem cells divide, as in the cells at the right, SMEK1 moves to the cytoplasm, where it regulates PAR's activity. (Image courtesy of Wange Lu)

USC researchers apply brainpower to understanding neural stem cell differentiation

How do humans and other mammals get so brainy? USC researcher Wange Lu, PhD, and his colleagues shed new light on this question in a paper published in Cell Reports on October …

Pat Levitt (Photo courtesy of Children's Hospital Los Angeles)

Pat Levitt elected to Institute of Medicine

Pat Levitt, provost professor of pediatrics, neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology and pharmacy at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, was recently elected as a member into the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM), …

Embryonic stem cells that have differentiated into neurons (Image by In Kyoung Mah/Mariani Lab); featured image for Winner of the September 2013 USC Stem Cell Image of the Month Contest

Winner of the September 2013 USC Stem Cell Image of the Month Contest

Dr. Andrew McMahon, Dr. Seth Ruffins and the judges of the USC Stem Cell Image of the Month contest would like to congratulate our September 2013 winner, In Kyoung Mah, a graduate …

Microscopy related to Alzheimers disease; featured image for USC professors receive NIH funding for clinical trial of Alzheimer’s drug

USC professors receive NIH funding for clinical trial of Alzheimer’s drug

USC Professors Roberta Diaz Brinton of the USC School of Pharmacy and Lon Schneider of the Keck School of Medicine of USC are principal investigators of a newly funded study from the …

Embryonic stem cells (Image/courtesy of Qi-Long Ying); featured image for USC researcher reveals how to better master stem cells’ fate

USC researcher reveals how to better master stem cells’ fate

USC scientist Qi-Long Ying and a team of researchers have long been searching for biotech’s version of the fountain of youth — ways to encourage embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and epiblast stem …

Judy Villablanca (Photo courtesy of Children's Hospital Los Angeles)

Magnetic treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma proves less than attractive

Removing tumor cells with a magnet? It may sound strange, but researchers at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and their colleagues recently explored whether this technique can create better outcomes for patients …

Speakers at the first first Zilkha Mini­Symposium on Alzheimer’s Research at USC covered a variety of topics on the devastating disease. Pictured here (left to right) are Christian Pike, PhD, associate professor, USC Davis School of Gerontology; Hong-Wei Dong, MD, PhD, associate professor, department of neurology; Roberta Brinton, PhD, R. Pete Vanderveen Chair in Therapeutic Discovery & Development; Maria Carrillo, vice president, medical and scientific relations, Alzheimer’s Association; Russell Jacobs, PhD, member, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute; Arthur W. Toga, PhD, Provost Professor of Ophthalmology, Neurology, Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Radiology and Engineering; director of the USC Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics; Paul Thompson, PhD, professor of ophthalmology, neurology, psychiatry and the behavioral sciences, radiology and engineering; Helena Chui, MD, Raymond and Betty McCarron Chair in Neurology; Lon Schneider, MD, director, USC Alzheimer Disease Research and Clinical Center; Berislav Zlokovic, MD, PhD, director, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute; and Scott Fraser, PhD, Provost Professor of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering. (Photo by Amy E. Hamaker); featured image for First Zilkha Alzheimer’s Mini-Symposium examines vascular system connections

First Zilkha Alzheimer’s Mini-Symposium examines vascular system connections

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and more than five million Americans live with the disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Conquering Alzheimer’s was the …

From left, Andrew P. McMahon, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, with Yong Chen’s son Gary and researcher Qi-Long Ying (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for Businessman invests in stem cell research at USC

Businessman invests in stem cell research at USC

Chinese businessman Yong Chen has pledged $1 million to USC stem cell researcher Qi-Long Ying to support his future “eureka moments.” “When I talked to Mr. Chen, I told him that groundbreaking …

Neural stem cells derived from self-renewing mouse embryonic stem cells (Image courtesy of Qi-Long Ying); featured image for A special protein helps embryonic stem cells keep their options open

A special protein helps embryonic stem cells keep their options open

In the ongoing quest to understand how embryonic stem cells (ESCs) retain their ability to differentiate into virtually any kind of cell, USC faculty member Qi-Long Ying and a team of researchers …

From left, Gage Crump, Jay R. Lieberman and Francesca Mariani (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for USC announces winners of first Regenerative Medicine Initiative awards

USC announces winners of first Regenerative Medicine Initiative awards

Three newly assembled disease teams within USC Stem Cell will take the early steps this year that might lead to future stem-cell based therapies for certain forms of deafness, bone defects and …

This embryonic mouse at day 10.5 has a special glow thanks to the fluorescent labeling of its neurofilaments, which are major structural element of neurons. The picture won the July 2013 Image of the Month contest at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Rengerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. (Image by Elisabeth Rutledge, PhD student in the lab of Andrew McMahon); featured image for Winner of the July 2013 USC Stem Cell Image of the Month Contest

Winner of the July 2013 USC Stem Cell Image of the Month Contest

Dr. Andrew McMahon, Dr. Seth Ruffins and the judges of the USC Stem Cell Image of the Month contest would like to congratulate our July 2013 winner, Elisabeth Rutledge, a PhD student …