Menu

News & Events

Brain Nerves and Senses News

From left, Lina R. Nih, stem cell scientists Daniel Wagner, Unmesh Jadhav, Karthik Shehkar and Anastasia Tikhonova (Photo by Sergio Bianco)

Stem cell scientists take it one cell at a time at the Junior Faculty Candidate Mini-symposium

Cells should be treated as individuals, according to the scientists who presented research at the Junior Faculty Candidate Mini-symposium, hosted by USC’s Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine on February …

Giorgia Quadrato (Photo by Sergio Bianco)

Stem cell scientist Giorgia Quadrato joins USC’s brain trust

Giorgia Quadrato loves a good challenge. That’s why USC’s newest assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine currently spends her time growing 3D networks of human nerve cells, called brain …

The core research facilities at USC's stem cell research center serve the scientific community throughout Southern California. (Photo by Sergio Bianco)

USC Stem Cell acquires two instruments to advance state-of-the-art cell sorting

When it comes to sorting cells or other small particles, there’s no better place to do so than USC. The university’s Flow Cytometry Facility recently acquired two top-of-the-line cell sorters, the BD …

AcuraStem team members participated in the ALS Association Golden West Chapter‘s Walk to Defeat ALS at Exposition Park. (Photo by Roxan Olivas, AcuraStem)

Innovators of USC: Justin Ichida stays at the forefront of ALS research

Justin Ichida keeps his research patient-based. That’s why Ichida, Richard N. Merkin, M.D., Assistant Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and his …

USC researchers are focusing on a protein that is associated with our body clocks to see if it affects disease onset. (Illustration courtesy of iStock)

Disease risk seen in disrupted biological clock

USC scientists report that a novel time-keeping mechanism within liver cells that helps sustain key organ tasks can contribute to diseases when its natural rhythm is disrupted.

Ellis Meng and Michael Waterman are 2018 fellows in the National Academy of Inventors. (Photos courtesy of USC Viterbi School of Engineering)

Ellis Meng and Mike Waterman elected fellows of the National Academy of Inventors

Ellis Meng, a professor of biomedical engineering and electrical engineering, who holds the Gabilan Distinguished Professorship in Science and Engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and University Professor, Michael Waterman, …

The Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Symposium sparked collaborations. (Photo by Sergio Bianco)

USC researchers converge at the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Symposium

“The field of stem cell biology is one of our great convergence opportunities,” said USC Provost Michael Quick, addressing an audience of biologists, chemists, physicists, engineers, clinicians and many others. This diverse …

Valter Longo (USC Photo; Illustration by Time)

TIME names Valter Longo one of the 50 Most Influential People in Health Care of 2018

USC Leonard Davis School Professor Valter Longo, director of the USC Longevity Institute and USC Stem Cell principal investigator, has been named one of TIME’s the 50 Most Influential People in Health …

Anna Kuehl (Photo by Tracy + David Stills and Motion)

Out of the woods: USC alumna and nature lover Anna Kuehl finds hope to restore her vision

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Anna Kuehl who loved exploring the nature surrounding her home in the Bavarian Forest. Located northeast of Munich not far from the …

Andy McMahon (Photo by Phil Channing)

USC Stem Cell scientist Andy McMahon and collaborators tune into the organ concert

Every minute of every day, your organs are using a complex language to communicate with each other about the basic physiological processes necessary for life—everything from blood pressure regulation to pH balance …

Developing retina (Image by Cobrinik Lab)

CHLA team identifies developmental stage for eye tumor in children

Investigators at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have been able to pinpoint the exact stage of development of the human retina, when cells can grow out of control and form cancer-like masses. The …

Human gametes (Image by Karl-Ludwig Poggemann)

All about egg freezing: A Q&A with Dr. Richard J. Paulson, USC Fertility

If you’re not going to complete your family by age 35, it’s time to freeze your eggs, according to Dr. Richard J. Paulson, director of USC Fertility. Egg freezing offers a shot …

Justin Ichida (Photo by Chris Shinn)

The USC scientist who aims to beat ALS, and the patients cheering him on

Justin Ichida regularly gets emails from strangers asking an urgent question: Will your research on ALS be done in time to save my life? “I don’t really know them, but they tell …

From left, Neil Segil and Qi-Long Ying (Photos by Chris Shinn)

USC Stem Cell scientists Neil Segil and Qi-Long Ying awarded NIH grants

Two USC Stem Cell scientists have received new research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Michael Bonaguidi (Photo by Chris Shinn)

The Baxter Foundation awards grants to USC researchers Michael Bonaguidi and Sanda Win

From the brain to the bile, the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation is supporting innovative medical research by granting $100,000 awards to two assistant professors: Michael Bonaguidi in the Department …

Justin Ichida (Photo by Ben Gibbs)

AcuraStem, USC and Icagen to collaborate on fast track SBIR grant for the development of a novel small molecule therapy to treat ALS

AcuraStem, an early stage biotech company located in Los Angeles, and Justin Ichida at USC have been awarded a $3.7 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) FastTrack grant by the National Institute …

Pat Levitt (Photo courtesy of CHLA)

Common psychiatric disorders share an overlapping genetic risk

Investigators found that many common psychiatric disorders are deeply connected on a genetic level, sharing specific genetic risk factors, underscoring the need to recognize shared dimensions of brain dysfunction, and develop new …

USC researchers have found 150 proteins that contribute to mental disorders. (Illustration/Evgeny Gromov, iStock)

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 …

Engineered mouse cells (Image courtesy of Leonardo Morsut)

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 …

Pat Levitt (Photo courtesy of CHLA)

Patt Levitt named inaugural Chief Scientific Officer at CHLA

Pat Levitt, PhD, has been named Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer and Director of The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.