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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 …

Louise Menendez; featured image for USC Stem Cell faculty member Louise Menendez helps students realize their pluri-potential

USC Stem Cell faculty member Louise Menendez helps students realize their pluri-potential

Louise Menendez, the newest assistant professor in USC’s Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, credits her mother as her first role model for career success. Both of Menendez’s parents work …

Berenice Benayoun (Photo by Charles Camarda); featured image for USC Professor Bérénice Benayoun receives grant to study menopause and ovarian aging

USC Professor Bérénice Benayoun receives grant to study menopause and ovarian aging

Bérénice Benayoun, assistant professor of gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School, received a $200,000 grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). The funding will support Benayoun’s work in understanding the molecular …

Nerves; featured image for USC researchers probe how nerves impact stem cells

USC researchers probe how nerves impact stem cells

It’s well known that nerves are vital for sensing the world, but researchers are now discovering how they also change the behavior of stem cells, which could have implications for regrowing teeth. …

From left, Denis Evseenko and Jay Lieberman (Photo by Sergio Bianco); featured image for Potential relief for osteoarthritis moves to clinical trial after animal studies

Potential relief for osteoarthritis moves to clinical trial after animal studies

A team of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have found a drug with the potential for curbing painful hyperinflammation from osteoarthritis, according to results of an animal study. …