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Valter Longo (Photo by John Skalicky)

Fasting-like diet turns the immune system against cancer

A fasting-like diet with chemotherapy strips away the guard that protects breast cancer and skin cancer cells from the immune system, according to a new USC-led study on mice. The study was …

The organ of Corti, the hearing organ of the inner ear, is made up of a single row of inner hair cells and three rows of outer hair cells (green), surrounded by supporting cells (purple). (Image by Yassan Abdolazimi and Neil Segil)

USC Stem Cell researchers listen for clues about how the gene Atoh1 enables hearing

Non-mammals such as birds can recover from deafness as quickly as humans can recover from a cut or bruise. In contrast, when humans and other mammals sustain damage to the inner ear’s …

Skeletal myotubes grown for three weeks on gelatin hydrogel (Image by Archana Bettadapur, Gio Suh, Evelyn Wang, Holly Huber, Alyssa Viscio and Megan McCain)

USC researchers use gelatin instead of the gym to grow stronger muscles

USC researcher Megan L. McCain and colleagues have devised a way to develop bigger, stronger muscle fibers. But instead of popping up on the bicep of a bodybuilder, these muscles grow on …

From top: Dion Dickman (left), Megan McCain and Justin Ichida; Rong Lu (left) and Keyue Shen (Photos by Cristy Lytal)

USC Stem Cell researchers receive the inaugural Broad Innovation Awards

Two teams of scientists have won the inaugural Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Awards in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at USC. This year’s competition provides $120,000 each to the teams …

From left, philanthropists Kin-Chung and Amy Choi with Andy McMahon, chair of the executive committee of USC Stem Cell (Photo by Steve Cohn)

Los Angeles wins bid to host international stem cell conference

In recognition of its growing stature as an incubator for the biosciences, Los Angeles will be the host city for the 2019 International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Conference. With the …

From left, philanthropists Kin-Chung and Amy Choi with Andy McMahon, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC (Photo by Steve Cohn)

The Choi Family’s gift inspires USC Stem Cell scientists to “Return to the Beginning”

Twenty-five years ago, philanthropists Kin-Chung and Amy Choi marked the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary by purchasing the sculpture “Return to the Beginning,” by renowned Taiwanese artist Yuyu Yang. Now in …

From left, Broad Clinical Research Fellows Christopher Schlieve, Gene K. Lee and R. Kiran Alluri

USC Stem Cell names second cohort of Broad Clinical Research Fellows

The second cohort of Broad Clinical Research Fellows is making strides towards finding stem cell-based therapies for lymphedema in cancer patients, large bone fractures and short bowel syndrome.

Stem cells self-organize to form a hollow ball of cells. (Image by In Kyoung Mah and Francesca Mariani)

A gene called Prkci helps organize organisms and their organs

A gene called Prkci can point cells in the right direction, according to a new study in Developmental Biology. In the study, USC Stem Cell researcher In Kyoung Mah from the laboratory …

Joseph T. Rodgers (Photo by Cristy Lytal)

Joseph T. Rodgers and Hyungjin Eoh win Baxter Awards

Directors of the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation visited the USC Health Sciences Campus this May, to hear presentations from Keck School of Medicine of USC faculty and meet with …

Human development (Image courtesy of Evseenko Lab)

Request for Proposals: Hearst Fellowship Award 2016–2017

The second 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 …

Valter Longo (Photo by Dietmar Quistorf)

Diet that mimics fasting may also reduce multiple sclerosis symptoms

Evidence is mounting that a diet mimicking the effects of fasting has health benefits beyond weight loss, with a new USC-led study indicating that it may reduce symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Scientists …

Clockwise from top left: Study authors Casey Brewer, Elizabeth Chu, Rong Lu and Mike Chin (Photos by Cristy Lytal)

Dose of transplanted blood-forming stem cells affects their behavior

Unlike aspirin, bone marrow doesn’t come with a neatly printed label with dosage instructions. However, a new study published in Cell Reports provides clues about how the dose of transplanted bone marrow …

Graduate student Vincent Haoze Yu; Broad Clinical Fellow Rodrigo Martínez Monedero, MD; Michael Sidgmore; principal investigator Neil Segil, PhD; and graduate student Louise Menendez in the Choi Family Therapeutic Screening Facility at the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. Segil's team is collaborating with USC Stem Cell researchers Justin Ichida, PhD, Takahiro Ohyama, PhD, and Radha Kalluri, PhD, to reprogram skin cells into sensory cells of the inner ear. (Photo courtesy of HSC News)

Sidgmore Family Foundation gift to help hearing loss research

There has always been one insurmountable problem related to hearing loss: When the sensory hair cells in the inner ear die, they don’t regenerate. These microscopic cells signal to the brain that …

Ophir Klein, professor at the University of California, San Francisco, delivered the keynote address. (Photo by Cristy Lytal)

Next generation of stem cell scientists detail their research from head to toe

The Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Retreat was a total body experience — covering organ systems ranging from the brain to the skeleton, from the kidney to the heart. Held on May …

From left, philanthropists Kin-Chung and Amy Choi with Andy McMahon, chair of the executive committee of USC Stem Cell (Photo by Steve Cohn)

Special gift to establish patient-centered care program

A generous gift from the Chois, who are ambassadors for Stem Cell Research, will establish an endowment and fund new programs in perpetuity that are designed to strengthen patient-centered care and support …

Mark Humayun, MD, PhD, shakes hands with President Barack Obama after receiving the National Medal of Technology and Innovation during a ceremony May 19, 2016, at the White House.

Mark Humayun receives the National Medal from President Obama

Mark S. Humayun, co-director of the USC Gayle and Edward Roski Eye Institute and director of the USC Institute for Biomedical Therapeutics, received the nation’s highest award for achievement in technology from …

Denis Evseenko (Photo by Cristy Lytal)

Denis Evseenko is featured on Arthritis Now

Listen to an interview with USC Stem Cell scientist Denis Evseenko. It’s featured on Arthritis Now, a web series produced by the Arthritis National Research Foundation. The Evseenko Lab research program is …

The Journal of Neuroscience cover from April 27, 2016

Key mutations may worsen hearing loss from the chemotherapy drug cisplatin

The chemotherapy drug cisplatin can kill cancer, but it can also kill the sensory cells of the inner ear — causing permanent hearing loss. This hearing loss is likely to be more severe …

Graduates from the master of science in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine program (Photo by Cort Brinkerhoff)

USC launches second graduating class from stem cell master’s program

USC’s May 14 Commencement Ceremony marked a beginning, not only for its two-year-old master’s program in the nascent field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, but also for this program’s second …

New ways to regenerate bone emerge from the adult zebrafish face. (Image by Sandeep Paul and Seth Ruffins)

USC Stem Cell researchers use zebrafish to understand the role of cartilage in bone repair

Scientists have long believed that the processes required for embryonic development are recapitulated during the regeneration of damaged body parts, such as fractured bones. In a new study published in Development, USC …