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. …
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 …
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 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), …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
USC professor presents Alzheimer’s findings at international conference
USC School of Pharmacy Professor Roberta Diaz Brinton, holder of the R. Pete Vanderveen Chair in Therapeutic Discovery and Development, presented her work on Allopregnanolone and the phase 1 trial that will …
USC study sheds light on stem cell reprogramming
Researchers are learning how to turn regular cells into stem cells, a process called reprogramming. However, some of the mechanisms of the process remain unknown, such as why only a small proportion of the cells can be reprogrammed. Researchers have at least part of the answer: the structure of genes.
Common genetic disease linked to father’s age
Scientists at USC have unlocked the mystery of why new cases of the genetic disease Noonan syndrome are so common—a mutation, which causes the disease, disproportionately increases a normal father’s production of …
Interview with Sir John Gurdon
Sir John Gurdon, a Nobel Prize-winning biologist whose experiments in the field of cloning laid the foundation for modern stem cell research, visited the USC Health Sciences Campus on May 16. He …
Nobel Laureate discusses history of cloning
Cells can be stubborn things. A skin cell resists changing into a liver cell, and a heart cell wants to remain a heart cell. But with the right kind of manipulation, they …
Nobel laureate to speak on stem cells at HSC
Nobel laureate Sir John Gurdon will speak on “From Nuclear Transplantation to Prospects for Cell Replacement” on May 16 at noon in the Aresty Auditorium of the Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research …
Probing the power of stem cells
Piece by missing piece, scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC are deciphering the powerful gene regulatory circuit that maintains and controls the potential of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to …