When it comes to balancing the immune system, some blood stem cells are better than others
In your body, blood stem cells produce approximately 10 billion new white blood cells, which are also known as immune cells, each and every day. Even more remarkably, if some of these …
USC Stem Cell scientist Justin Ichida named inaugural Richard N. Merkin Scholar
In USC’s Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, half of the faculty members are assistant professors, poised at the threshold of their careers in biomedical research. One of these promising …
USC Stem Cell researcher Justin Ichida honored as a champion in the fight against ALS
The ALS Association Golden West Chapter will recognize USC Stem Cell researcher Justin Ichida with the 2017 Essey Commitment to a Cure Award for his outstanding achievements in the fight against ALS. …
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 …
Stem cell scientist D’Juan Farmer named inaugural Choi Family Postdoctoral Fellow at USC
D’Juan Farmer grew up in a neighborhood where attending college—let alone pursuing a PhD or postdoctoral training—was not the expectation. Now, he’s earned the inaugural Choi Family Postdoctoral Fellowship, which provides support …
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 …
Beta booster: Senta Georgia works at the front lines in the fight against diabetes
Part of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ “We Went First” feature for 2017 Women’s Day Credit a school field trip with inspiring Senta Georgia to change the world. When Georgia was a young …
Broad Innovation Award winners aim to reduce bathroom breaks with stem cells
Having a baby can change a woman’s life in one way that she is often too embarrassed to mention. Childbirth can cause urinary incontinence, which affects up to 13 million people and …
Five-hundred middle and high school students realized their “pluripotential” at the USC Stem Cell Day of Discovery
You can be anything you want—just like a stem cell. This was a key lesson for the 500 middle and high school students who attended the USC Stem Cell Day of Discovery …
USC announces Feb. 4 Stem Cell Day of Discovery event
On Saturday, February 4, from 8 a.m.–2 p.m., USC will hold a half-day educational event to encourage the residents of East Los Angeles (Boyle Heights, El Sereno, Lincoln Heights and neighboring communities …
What I’m Reading: Top pick from stem cell faculty member Senta Georgia
Earlier this year, a team at the Karolinska Institute published a paper that profiled gene activity in single cells from human embryos created in the context of in vitro fertilization. Now this …
Community biotech summit opens new world for eager youths
Shelsy Aragon was nervous. The 14-year-old was standing in front of hundreds of people in a packed room at East Los Angeles College, a microphone hot in her hand. She had a question …
What I’m reading: Top pick from stem cell faculty member Rong Lu
In a recent issue of Nature, Fan Zhou, Bing Liu and colleagues present their work on tracing the developmental origin of blood stem cells, also known as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), in …
What I’m reading: A top pick from stem cell faculty member Senta Georgia
In the human pancreas, groups of so-called “endocrine cells” secrete the hormones insulin and glucagon, which are critical for regulating blood glucose levels; dysregulation of hormone secretion can lead to diabetes. In …
USC Stem Cell researcher Senta Georgia wins CIRM Discovery Inception award
Senta Georgia—principal investigator at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), and assistant professor of pediatrics, and stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at USC—has a creative idea for helping children with a genetic …
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 …
Outside the lab: Justin Ichida, a stem cell scientist with the spirit of aloha and rock ’n roll
As a third-generation Hawaiian, USC Stem Cell researcher Justin Ichida is equally comfortable with lu’aus and lead guitars as with laboratories. As an assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine …
USC Stem Cell scientist Justin Ichida named New York Stem Cell Foundation – Robertson Investigator
Some people see an award as remuneration for work well done. Upon being named a New York Stem Cell Foundation – Robertson Investigator, ALS researcher Justin Ichida sees his award as motivation …
USC stem cell researcher Gabriel R. Linares receives Broad Fellowship
For this year’s Broad Fellow, Gabriel R. Linares, science is personal. “I have to say the turning point that spiked my interest in science was when I was in high school, and …
USC Stem Cell researcher Justin Ichida receives $300,000 Muscular Dystrophy Association grant
Ten percent of all patients with two neurodegenerative diseases — frontotemperal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — possess a mutation in the same gene. …