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Nelson Poliran, Jr.; featured image for Where are they now? Stem cell master’s program alumnus Nelson Poliran, Jr., a dentist in rural New Mexico

Where are they now? Stem cell master’s program alumnus Nelson Poliran, Jr., a dentist in rural New Mexico

In this series of alumni profiles, we highlight graduates of USC’s master of science program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Our accomplished alumni have pursued many different paths—ranging from a …

Natasha Raj-Derouin (Photo courtesy of Natasha Raj-Derouin); featured image for Where are they now? Stem cell master’s program alumna Natasha Raj-Derouin, an MD pursuing reproductive endocrinology and infertility

Where are they now? Stem cell master’s program alumna Natasha Raj-Derouin, an MD pursuing reproductive endocrinology and infertility

In this series of alumni profiles, we highlight graduates of USC’s master of science program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Our accomplished alumni have pursued many different paths—ranging from a …

Clare Yarka (Photo courtesy of Clare Yarka); featured image for Where are they now? Stem cell master’s program alumna Clare Yarka, a Scientist at Instil Bio

Where are they now? Stem cell master’s program alumna Clare Yarka, a Scientist at Instil Bio

In this series of alumni profiles, we highlight graduates of USC’s master of science program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Our accomplished alumni have pursued many different paths—ranging from a …

Rekha Prakash (Photo courtesy of Rekha Prakash); featured image for Where are they now? Stem cell master’s program alumna Rekha Prakash, a biotechnology teacher at Roosevelt High School

Where are they now? Stem cell master’s program alumna Rekha Prakash, a biotechnology teacher at Roosevelt High School

In this series of alumni profiles, we highlight graduates of USC’s master of science program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Our accomplished alumni have pursued many different paths—ranging from a …

Haoze (Vincent) Yu and Litao Tao (Photo courtesy of Haoze (Vincent) Yu); featured image for USC Stem Cell alumni Litao Tao and Haoze (Vincent) Yu bring their A game to new positions in academia and industry

USC Stem Cell alumni Litao Tao and Haoze (Vincent) Yu bring their A game to new positions in academia and industry

Scientists Litao Tao and Haoze (Vincent) Yu were colleagues and team players for many years both inside and outside of Neil Segil’s lab at the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for …

Valter Longo (Photo by Dietmar Quistorf); featured image for New article outlines the characteristics of a “longevity diet”

New article outlines the characteristics of a “longevity diet”

Examining a range of nutrition research from studies in laboratory animals to epidemiological research in human populations provides a clearer picture of the best diet for a longer, healthier life, said USC …

The USC Mentoring Awards honor faculty who contribute to an engaging, supportive and inclusive academic environment through their mentorship of students and faculty. (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock); featured image for Neil Segil is among members of Health Sciences Campus honored with USC Mentoring Awards

Neil Segil is among members of Health Sciences Campus honored with USC Mentoring Awards

Several faculty members from the USC Health Sciences Campus received 2022 USC Mentoring Awards on April 14 at a reception organized by the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. These awards recognize …

Altered cells create an electrical “fire” in patients with epilepsy. (BioRender illustration by Aswathy Ammothumkandy/Bonaguidi Lab/USC Stem Cell); featured image for Newborn cells in the epileptic brain provide a potential target for treatment

Newborn cells in the epileptic brain provide a potential target for treatment

Over the years, everyone loses a few brain cells. A study led by scientists from USC Stem Cell and the USC Neurorestoration Center presents evidence that adults can replenish at least some …

Jian Xu (Photo by John Skalicky); featured image for Ostrow faculty member Jian Xu does craniofacial biology with heart

Ostrow faculty member Jian Xu does craniofacial biology with heart

The researcher was recently promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Dentistry with tenure. TO SOME, IT MIGHT SEEM UNUSUAL that Jian Xu, whose PhD research focused on cardiac hypertrophy and …

Detail of brain from Mukund Iyer's first place winning entry (Image by Mukund Iyer)

Communicating science visually: Mukund Iyer, MaryAnne Achieng and Stephanie Chang win the 2022 Winter BioRender contest

For his graphic on immune cell function in the brain, Mukund Iyer took first place in the Winter 2021 BioRender Illustration competition for his schematic of breast cancer cells’ entry through the …

Clockwise from top left, Miao Cui, Yulia Shwartz, Olena Zhulyn, and Kyle McCracken; featured image for Stem cell scientists explore the mysteries of regeneration at the Junior Faculty Candidate Seminar and Symposium

Stem cell scientists explore the mysteries of regeneration at the Junior Faculty Candidate Seminar and Symposium

How can we regenerate tissues that are damaged, lost or diseased in the human body? This was the central question driving the four scientists who presented their research at the Junior Faculty …

Rong Lu; featured image for For USC Stem Cell faculty member Rong Lu, science is in her blood

For USC Stem Cell faculty member Rong Lu, science is in her blood

When Rong Lu joined USC as an assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine in 2014, she knew that earning tenure would figuratively require blood, sweat and tears. But after …

USC stem cell research center; featured image for Meet the scholarship winners in USC’s stem cell master’s program

Meet the scholarship winners in USC’s stem cell master’s program

For the second consecutive year, USC’s master’s program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine has been able to offer scholarships to its talented students. Supported by the generosity of an anonymous …

New subretinal implant A new subretinal implant invented by Mark Humayun has been shown to improve vision in some patients who suffered from dry age-related macular degeneration.; featured image for USC discovery shows long-term viability of stem cell derived retinal implant

USC discovery shows long-term viability of stem cell derived retinal implant

Doctors and biomedical engineers who implant cells and tissues into patients to restore motion or eyesight have long been challenged by potential rejection of the implant by the patient’s own immune system. …

Dechen Lin (Photo courtesy of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC); featured image for Five things to know about Dechen Lin

Five things to know about Dechen Lin

A FEW WEEKS AGO, Assistant Professor Dechen Lin joined the Trojan Dental Family as a researcher for Ostrow’s Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, coming to us from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Here are …

Mark Humayun (Photo by Gus Ruelas); featured image for Mark Humayun among USC faculty named 2021 AAAS Fellows

Mark Humayun among USC faculty named 2021 AAAS Fellows

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected three USC professors to become AAAS fellows in 2021. The council designates members with this distinction whose “efforts on behalf of …

Spine from a healthy mouse (left) and a mouse with genetically disrupted cartilage progenitor cells (Image by Dawei Geng and Tea Jashashvili); featured image for Arthritis-related gene also regenerates cartilage in joints and growth plates

Arthritis-related gene also regenerates cartilage in joints and growth plates

The IL-6 family of proteins has a bad reputation: it can promote inflammation, arthritis, autoimmune disease and even cancer. However, a new USC-led study published in Communications Biology reveals the importance of …

THE SYNAPSES OF A ZEBRAFISH BRAIN ARE HIGHLIGHTED BY A MICROSCOPE (PHOTO CREDIT: USC); featured image for USC team shows how memories are stored in the brain, with potential impact on conditions like PTSD

USC team shows how memories are stored in the brain, with potential impact on conditions like PTSD

What physical changes occur in the brain when a memory is made? A team of researchers at the University of Southern California has, for the first time, answered this question by inducing …

Confocal microscopy image of an adult zebrafish head with neural crest-derived cells in red. The Crump lab has used single-cell sequencing to understand how these cells build and repair the head skeleton, with implications for understanding human craniofacial birth defects and improving repair of skeletal tissues. (Image by Hung-Jhen Chen/Crump Lab); featured image for A crowning achievement in understanding head development

A crowning achievement in understanding head development

Cranial neural crest cells, or CNCCs, contribute to many more body parts than their humble name suggests. These remarkable stem cells not only form most of the skull and facial skeleton in …

Yichen Li; featured image for Curiosity, commitment and compassion drive Yichen Li’s research in neurodegenerative diseases

Curiosity, commitment and compassion drive Yichen Li’s research in neurodegenerative diseases

Yichen Li has always been driven to understand the world around her. Growing up in an Eastern province in China, Li’s inquisitive nature steered her toward science. “When I was a girl, …