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Two types of progenitor cells from dissociated skin—epidermal (green) and dermal (red)—undergo a series of morphological transitions to form reconstituted skin. (Images by Mingxing Lei/Cheng-Ming Chuong Lab); featured image for USC Stem Cell scientists obtain “how to” guide for producing hair follicles

USC Stem Cell scientists obtain “how to” guide for producing hair follicles

How does the skin develop follicles and eventually sprout hair? A USC-led study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), addresses this question using insights gleaned from organoids, …

Joanna Smeeton with her husband Jeremy Morris and their twins Edie and Isaac (Photo by Sandra Kielback); featured image for USC Stem Cell scientist Joanna Smeeton wins NIH Pathway to Independence Award

USC Stem Cell scientist Joanna Smeeton wins NIH Pathway to Independence Award

After her breakthrough discovery that zebrafish can be used to study arthritis, postdoctoral fellow Joanna Smeeton has received a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award. Known as the …

Rat; featured image for USC Stem Cell researchers receive $3 million of NIH funding to produce sophisticated laboratory rats

USC Stem Cell researchers receive $3 million of NIH funding to produce sophisticated laboratory rats

USC Stem Cell principal investigator Qi-Long Ying and his team are pleased to introduce a new transgenic animal—the conditional and inducible gene knockout rat. Created using embryonic stem cell-based technology, these remarkable …

Rong Lu (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for New USC stem cell course teaches how to design an experiment

New USC stem cell course teaches how to design an experiment

For future scientists, few skills are more essential than the ability to design a good experiment. In a new spring 2018 course, SCRM 517 Historical and Contemporary Stem Cell Research, Professor Rong …

Heart muscle cells (red) with nuclei (blue). On the far right is a regenerative cell, which only has one nucleus, called a mononuclear diploid cardiomyocyte. (Image by Michaela Patterson); featured image for USC Stem Cell discovery refreshes the heart

USC Stem Cell discovery refreshes the heart

Some people are better than others at recovering from a wounded heart, according to a new USC Stem Cell study published in Nature Genetics. In the study, first author Michaela Patterson, a …

Researcher in the lab (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for Request for Applications: A.P. Giannini Foundation 2018 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program

Request for Applications: A.P. Giannini Foundation 2018 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program

The A.P. Giannini Foundation invites physician-scientists and junior researchers with three to 36 months of postdoctoral research experience to apply to the 2018 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program. The Fellowship Program supports innovative …

A plate of cells; featured image for Request for Proposals: Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Awards in Stem Biology and Regenerative Medicine 2018–2019

Request for Proposals: Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Awards in Stem Biology and Regenerative Medicine 2018–2019

Stem Cell Engineering and Therapeutic Screening A gift from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has established the Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Awards in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at …

Organoid; featured image for Stem cell-derived retinal organoid imaging offers real-time insights into the developmental origins of blinding eye diseases

Stem cell-derived retinal organoid imaging offers real-time insights into the developmental origins of blinding eye diseases

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) Roski Eye Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering used stem cell-derived retinal organoids …

Richard Lopez (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for High school student Richard Lopez gets an early start with stem cell science

High school student Richard Lopez gets an early start with stem cell science

Even though Richard Lopez is still in high school, he can already tell you a thing or two about the ureteric bud, the metanephric mesenchyme and the developing kidney. More impressively, he …

Amgen poster; featured image for Call for Applications: The Amgen-USC Scholars Program

Call for Applications: The Amgen-USC Scholars Program

The University of Southern California (USC) and Amgen Inc. are pleased to announce the Amgen-USC Scholars Program. This program provides research opportunities and career mentorship for postdoctoral fellows who are interested in …

Pluripotency (Painting by Amanda Kwieraga); featured image for USC alumna Amanda Kwieraga makes paintings from acrylic, wood and stem cell science

USC alumna Amanda Kwieraga makes paintings from acrylic, wood and stem cell science

“Anyone who views something under a microscope or through a telescope will tell you that science is art, and that art is the perfect way to convey science,” said Amanda Kwieraga, an …

Natasha Natarajan (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for Trojan Natasha Natarajan looks to the future of stem cells

Trojan Natasha Natarajan looks to the future of stem cells

“Everyone in this audience right now, you all started out as a stem cell,” said Natasha Natarajan at the 2017 TEDxUSC conference. “And then your DNA came in, did all the work, …

Neuronal Forest (Painting by Amanda Kwieraga); featured image for USC Stem Cell artist Amanda Kwieraga plants a Neuronal Forest

USC Stem Cell artist Amanda Kwieraga plants a Neuronal Forest

“Anyone who views something under a microscope or through a telescope will tell you that science is art, and that art is the perfect way to convey science,” said Amanda Kwieraga, an …

Human development (Image courtesy of Evseenko Lab); featured image for Whittier Foundation backs new group of research projects

Whittier Foundation backs new group of research projects

The L.K. Whittier Foundation has been a critical source of funding for cancer research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, supporting clinicians and …

Researcher in the lab (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for 2017 Call for Applications: T32 Training Fellowships in Developmental Biology, Stem Cells, and Regeneration

2017 Call for Applications: T32 Training Fellowships in Developmental Biology, Stem Cells, and Regeneration

All PhD students who are conducting research related to developmental biology, stem cell biology, and/or regenerative medicine are encouraged to apply for a training fellowship. We have several slots available for both …

Kidney cells (Image courtesy of the McMahon Lab); featured image for Request for Proposals: Hearst Fellowship Award 2017–2018

Request for Proposals: Hearst Fellowship Award 2017–2018

The third annual Hearst Fellows award is now open for application. The award of $65,000 that includes one year of salary and benefits will be made to an exceptional junior postdoctoral researcher …

From left, Gage Crump, Min Yu, Yang Chai, Joseph T. Rodgers and Denis Evseenko—all faculty in the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine—led a panel discussion about “Preparing for the faculty job market.” (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for The faculty job search just got easier, thanks to two USC Stem Cell postdocs

The faculty job search just got easier, thanks to two USC Stem Cell postdocs

“I think we’re all here for the same reason,” said Michaela Patterson, a postdoc in the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. “We’re considering …

From left, Broad Clinical Research Fellows Wan Jiao, Roshan Rajani and Anthony Squillaro (Photos courtesy of Wan Jiao, Cristy Lytal and Anthony Squillaro); featured image for Broad Clinical Research Fellows strive to regenerate lymph nodes, liver and kidney

Broad Clinical Research Fellows strive to regenerate lymph nodes, liver and kidney

The lymph nodes, liver and kidney are not passive filters for toxins, but complex organ systems that perform an astonishing array of critical functions. To help patients who have suffered damage to …

Kim Staats (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for USC researcher Kim Staats looks for the pattern in sporadic cases of ALS

USC researcher Kim Staats looks for the pattern in sporadic cases of ALS

USC postdoctoral researcher Kim Staats found her calling when a childhood neighbor was diagnosed with ALS, a paralyzing and fatal neurodegenerative disease. At the time, Staats was pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees …

Andy McMahon (right), director of USC's stem cell research center, highlights the importance of a biotechnology park. (Photo by Steve Cohn)

East LA biotech park could create “explosion of employment”

The competition for biotech investment is escalating, and USC President C. L. Max Nikias wants to make sure Los Angeles emerges a winner. “Los Angeles finds itself falling behind in the race …