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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.

Two sculptures representing a human neuron and a radial glia cell, inspired by the findings published by the Quadrato Lab in Nature Neuroscience. (Sculptures by Jane Kwak; photo by Sergio Bianco); featured image for The Autism-linked gene SYNGAP1 could impact early stages of human brain development, USC study reveals

The Autism-linked gene SYNGAP1 could impact early stages of human brain development, USC study reveals

New research shows that variants of SYNGAP1, a gene previously thought only to affect synapses between mature neurons, may disrupt early development in the brain’s cortex, a region involved in higher-order cognitive …

(Photo by William Vasta); featured image for USC doubles the number of scholarships for stem cell master’s students

USC doubles the number of scholarships for stem cell master’s students

This year, ten students earned scholarships that enabled them to attend USC’s master’s program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, one of the only programs of its kind in the United …

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 …

The 2023 Mammalian Synthetic Biology Workshop (Photo courtesy of Catcher Salazar); featured image for Three USC Stem Cell undergraduates expand their horizons, thanks to Neil Segil Travel Scholarships

Three USC Stem Cell undergraduates expand their horizons, thanks to Neil Segil Travel Scholarships

Few scientists will ever forget the first time they presented their research at a conference. Thanks to the Neil Segil Stem Cell Travel Scholarships, three USC Stem Cell undergraduate researchers recently experienced …

(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 …

USC stem cell research center; featured image for Open Rank—Tenured Associate or Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, USC

Open Rank—Tenured Associate or Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, USC

USC, founded in 1880, is the largest private employer in Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the …

Peter Kuhn and researchers at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Biosciences aim to revolutionize how breast cancer screening. (Image source: National Cancer Institute/Bruce Wetzel and Harry Schaefer.); featured image for Could a simple blood test detect cancer?

Could a simple blood test detect cancer?

Clinicians agree that cancer screenings, such as mammograms, offer the best hope of finding cancer before it’s out of hand. Unfortunately, screening is often uncomfortable and can require invasive techniques. It also …

Two of the genes—Gsta4 in red and Cyp4a14 in green—that are more active in female mouse kidneys (blue) (Image by Jing Liu/McMahon Lab); featured image for Why are male kidneys more vulnerable to disease than female kidneys? USC Stem Cell-led mouse study points to testosterone.

Why are male kidneys more vulnerable to disease than female kidneys? USC Stem Cell-led mouse study points to testosterone.

Female kidneys are known to be more resilient to disease and injury, but males need not despair. A new USC Stem Cell-led study published in Developmental Cell describes not only how sex …

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 …

Ksenia Gnedeva (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for Breaking the sound barrier: Ksenia Gnedeva’s transformative research on growth and regeneration in the inner ear sensory organs

Breaking the sound barrier: Ksenia Gnedeva’s transformative research on growth and regeneration in the inner ear sensory organs

Some children dream of growing up to be a ballerina or an astronaut, but Ksenia Gnedeva always knew she wanted to be a biologist. “I remember receiving a microscope for my sixth …

Normal vision and view with AMD; featured image for USC-supported startup receives major grant for clinical trial of a promising eye treatment

USC-supported startup receives major grant for clinical trial of a promising eye treatment

A stem cell patch developed by USC researchers for patients with macular degeneration will soon be tested in a phase 2b clinical trial. This latest milestone in the patch’s development was made …

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 …

Rows of sensory hearing cells (green) next to supporting cells (red) in the inner ear of a mouse (Image by John Duc Nguyen and Juan Llamas/Segil Lab); featured image for USC Stem Cell mouse studies tune into hearing regeneration

USC Stem Cell mouse studies tune into hearing regeneration

A deafened adult cannot recover the ability to hear, because the sensory hearing cells of the inner ear don’t regenerate after damage. In two new studies, partially funded by the National Institutes …

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 …

At the lab bench (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for Ten USC Stem Cell PhD students and recent graduates earn NIH fellowships

Ten USC Stem Cell PhD students and recent graduates earn NIH fellowships

Ten USC Stem Cell PhD students and recent graduates have been awarded fellowships from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Known as F31 awards, these prestigious fellowships provide promising PhD students with …

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 …