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Pinchas Cohen (Image courtesy of the USC Davis School of Gerontology)

Pinchas Cohen named USC Distinguished Professor

Pinchas Cohen, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, has been named a Distinguished Professor, an honor that is granted to a select group of USC academics each year. “These …

Human induced motor neurons. Motor neurons are green, and neurons are purple. (Image courtesy of the Ichida Lab)

USC Stem Cell-led studies point the way to broadly effective treatments for ALS

Each year in the U.S., 5,000 patients receive a diagnosis of ALS, an incurable neurodegenerative disease that will likely kill them within two to five years. In the quest to find a …

The new lab’s collaborative structure promises to play a key role in the development of groundbreaking advancements in health care. (Photo/Steve Cohn)

New USC/CHLA cGMP Lab opens to accelerate next-generation cell therapy

A new laboratory designed to advance early-stage research into lifesaving, commercially viable therapies was celebrated on the USC Health Sciences Campus Tuesday night. Housed at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, the …

Neuronal specification is compromised in Zfp462 deleted cells. Immunofluorescence images of wildtype (WT) and Zfp462 deleted (Zfp462 KO) cells during neural differentiation. The neuronal lineage marker SOX1 is shown in green and the endodermal lineage marker FOXA2 is in magenta. Non-neural cells are detected during the neural differentiation of Zfp462 KO cells. © Bell Lab / NCB /IMBA.

Weiss-Kruszka syndrome and the failure to establish neuronal identity

Weiss-Kruszka syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by craniofacial anomalies, developmental delay, and autistic features. Researchers at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the …

From left, Cheryl Mae Craft, Justin Ichida and Dean Carolyn Meltzer (Photo by Greg Grudt/ Steve Cohn)

Justin Ichida honored as the inaugural John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation Associate Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at USC

In March 2020, Justin Ichida, PhD, was appointed to a prestigious endowed professorship at Keck School of Medicine of USC through a generous philanthropic gift from the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation. …

(Image courtesy of Getty Images)

Method developed by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles researchers automates brain cell mapping

Neuroscience graduate students at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have developed an automated method that could save time and work for laboratories around the country by streamlining the process of identifying and mapping …

Kuo-Chang (Ted) Tseng from the Crump Lab and Michelle Hung from the Ichida Lab enjoy a beachside brainstorm.

Scientists feel the sand between their toes at the retreat for USC’s stem cell department

A pair of young scientists picked up a piece of driftwood and thoughtfully traced a series of letters in the wet sand of Ventura Beach. The word “microglia”—referring to the immune cells …

USC and CHLA awarded $8 million to expand access to cell and gene therapy clinical trials

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state’s stem cell agency, has awarded a five-year, $8 million grant to the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). …

Tianli "Sheldon" Ding

USC stem cell master’s program alumnus Tianli “Sheldon” Ding: Science saved his life at 21, and now this Trojan is on a mission

If Tianli Ding needed any confirmation that he was on the right path in life, he got in the form of a diagnosis: leukemia. When Ding was an undergraduate in college, stem …

Justin Ichida (left) and Zhongwei Li (Photos by Chris Shinn and courtesy of Zhongwei Li)

USC Stem Cell scientists Justin Ichida and Zhongwei Li receive NIH Director’s Awards

It’s hard to obtain research funding for safe ideas, and it’s even harder to find funding for risky ones. But thanks to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Awards, USC Stem …

fasting and breast cancer

Fasting-mimicking diet reduces signs of dementia in mice

Cycles of a diet that mimics fasting appear to reduce signs of Alzheimer’s in mice genetically engineered to develop the illness, according to a new USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology-led study. …

The brain

Newly discovered protein connected to Alzheimer’s disease risk

A mutation in a newly discovered small protein is connected to a significant increase in the risk for Alzheimer’s disease, expanding the known gene targets for the disease and presenting a new …

Dion Dickman

Podcast: Investigating synaptic plasticity and how the brain maintains cellular balance across the lifespan

Dion Dickman, associate professor of neuroscience and gerontology, joins George Shannon to discuss how the nervous system processes and stabilizes the transfer of information in healthy brains, aging brains and after injury …

A cell showing the enzyme BirA*G3, which tags the proteins of the "secretome" (Image courtesy of the McMahon Lab)

This mouse can’t keep a secret about the “secretome”

The “secretome” refers to proteins that are secreted by a cell, a tissue or an organism. In a new study published in Open Biology, USC Stem Cell scientist Andy McMahon and his …

From left, Albert Almada and Miller Huang

The Baxter Foundation celebrates promising research in muscle loss and pediatric cancer

For more than 60 years, the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation has supported innovative biomedical research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, each year granting $100,000 awards to …

Neil Segil (Photo by Chris Shinn)

In Memoriam: Neil Segil, PhD (1953–2022)

Professor, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC It is with sadness that we share that …

Neil Segil (Photo by Chris Shinn)

Professor Neil Segil (1953–2022)

It is with great sadness that we share that Professor Neil Segil passed away on Saturday July 2nd. Neil established an international reputation for his pioneering research on the development and regeneration …

David Hinton

In Memoriam: David R. Hinton, MD, FARVO

Professor of Pathology; Gavin S. Herbert Professorship in Vision Research; Associate Dean for Vision Science; Vice Chair of Pathology; Director, Keck School of Medicine of USC/CalTech MD/PhD Program; Director, Dean’s Research Scholars …

Haoze (Vincent) Yu and Litao Tao (Photo courtesy of Haoze (Vincent) Yu)

USC Stem Cell alumni Litao Tao and Haoze (Vincent) Yu bring their A game to new positions in academia and industry

Scientists Litao Tao and Haoze (Vincent) Yu were colleagues and team players for many years both inside and outside of Neil Segil’s lab at the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for …

The USC Mentoring Awards honor faculty who contribute to an engaging, supportive and inclusive academic environment through their mentorship of students and faculty. (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Neil Segil is among members of Health Sciences Campus honored with USC Mentoring Awards

Several faculty members from the USC Health Sciences Campus received 2022 USC Mentoring Awards on April 14 at a reception organized by the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. These awards recognize …