Mohamed Abou-el-Enein named Executive Director of USC/CHLA Cell Therapy Program
Mohamed Abou-el-Enein, MD, PhD, MSPH, has joined the Keck School of Medicine as the inaugural Executive Director of the Joint USC/CHLA Cell Therapy Program. He began his post Jan. 4. Abou-el-Enein will …
California’s biggest stem cell experiment: The impact of the stem cell ballot proposition at USC
In 2008, USC broke ground on an $80 million building dedicated solely to stem cell research and regenerative medicine. The plans called for a monolithic structure clad in black marble and reflective …
Gene therapy research for HIV awarded $14.6 million NIH grant
An HIV research program led by scientists at USC and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has received a five-year, $14.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The team is advancing …
USC scientists use brain organoids to study intellectual disability, with support from the SynGAP Research Fund
Maybe a child misses a developmental milestone, such as rolling over, or saying that first word. Perhaps the child also falls down due to seizures, or develops symptoms of an autism spectrum …
Countdown to Commencement: USC Stem Cell master’s student Kalya Stanten follows the science
By following her love of science, USC master’s student Kalya Stanten has found herself in some very interesting places—including a virology lab at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’m in Paula …
USC scientists surmount big obstacle to reprogram cells
USC scientists have surmounted a big roadblock in regenerative medicine that has so far constrained the ability to use repurposed cells to treat diseases. The researchers figured out how to reprogram cells …
Building a better “CAR”
In his 1971 State of the Union address, President Richard Nixon dedicated the country to finding a cure for cancer. “The time has come in America when the same kind of concentrated …
CHLA joins CureWorks collaborative to accelerate development of immunotherapy treatments for childhood cancers
Seattle Children’s, with participating members Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Children’s National Health System and BC Children’s Hospital, has launched CureWorks, an international collaborative of leading academic children’s hospitals determined to accelerate the …
USC scientists discover schizophrenia gene roles in brain development
A USC research team identified 150 proteins affecting cell activity and brain development that contribute to mental disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar condition and depression. It’s the first time these molecules, which are …
Synthetic “tissues” build themselves
How do complex biological structures—an eye, a hand, a brain—emerge from a single fertilized egg? This is the fundamental question of developmental biology, and a mystery still being grappled with by scientists …
Growing hope: What are stem cells, and how does USC use them?
Stem cell therapies have accelerated at a promising pace, but how do they work? And what are stem cells?
Physicians use gene therapy to restore patient’s vision
Surgeons of The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles completed a revolutionary gene replacement procedure at 9:20 a.m. March 20, to restore vision in a patient with retinal degeneration, using the …
Paula Cannon and Elyn Sacks named Distinguished Professors
Paula Cannon, PhD, and Elyn Saks, PhD, JD, have been named Distinguished Professors by USC President C. L. Max Nikias. USC Provost Michael Quick, PhD, announced the appointments in a Feb. 13 …
The toxic relationship between ALS and frontotemporal dementia
ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are two neurodegenerative diseases with a toxic relationship, according to a new USC Stem Cell study published in Nature Medicine.
USC Stem Cell scientists chew on the mysteries of jaw development
Scientists in the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Gage Crump have revealed how key genes guide the development of the jaw in zebrafish. These findings may offer clues for understanding craniofacial anomalies …
Broad Innovation Award winners work to develop cancer immunotherapy
Imagine an ever-renewing source of immune cells that can be engineered to attack cancer and infections. The winners of this year’s Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Award at USC are already striving …
A revolution in genetics
Courtesy of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Adding a piece of DNA to treat diabetes A child develops a rare form of diabetes, due to the absence of a single piece of DNA …
NIH funding helps Americans live longer and healthier
The nation’s medical research agency, the National Institutes of Health, funds research to help Americans live longer and healthier. Some 148 Nobel Prize winners have received support from the NIH, demonstrating how …
USC Stem Cell scientist Justin Ichida explores Alzheimer’s disease, with support from the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation
About 15 percent of the cells in our brains are scavengers—roving immune cells known as microglia that remove infectious agents, damaged neurons and plaques. USC Stem Cell scientist Justin Ichida is taking …
From professional volleyball to stem cell biology, Leonardo Morsut is at the top of his game
For USC Stem Cell researcher Leonardo Morsut, the word “set” refers to a collection of scientific data. “Set” is also the prelude to spiking a volleyball over the net—something he used to do for a living as a professional athlete in Italy.