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Muscles and Skeleton News
From left, Gio Suh and Lauren Ekman (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for Countdown to Commencement: Gio Suh builds muscles without exercising

Countdown to Commencement: Gio Suh builds muscles without exercising

“I’ve always wanted to be in a textbook and impact the world,” said Gio Suh, who is graduating in December 2017 from the master of science program in stem cell biology and …

Peter Fabian (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for As the Hearst Fellow, Peter Fabian studies small fish in a big pond at USC Stem Cell

As the Hearst Fellow, Peter Fabian studies small fish in a big pond at USC Stem Cell

During his career as a developmental biologist, Hearst Fellow Peter Fabian has studied many kinds of fish—from bichir and sturgeon, to gar and medaka. However, his favorite is the zebrafish, the current …

Yang Chai (Photo courtesy of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC); featured image for Stem cells may hold the key to helping patients with cleft palate

Stem cells may hold the key to helping patients with cleft palate

Every time we drink or breathe, the soft palate is hard at work. It acts like a trap door, allowing air to squeeze through or shutting so liquids can pass by. And …

To understand craniofacial disorders, Crump’s group examines the skeletal development of zebrafish (head bones stained red). (Image by Sandeep Paul/Crump Lab); featured image for USC Stem Cell scientist Gage Crump earns an $8 million NIH Award for Sustaining Outstanding Achievement in Research

USC Stem Cell scientist Gage Crump earns an $8 million NIH Award for Sustaining Outstanding Achievement in Research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has recognized USC scientist Gage Crump with an Award for Sustaining Outstanding Achievement in Research—an eight-year, $8 million grant to support the development of stem cell-based …

Pinchas Cohen (Photo courtesy of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology); featured image for Pinchas Cohen recognized as top influencer in aging field

Pinchas Cohen recognized as top influencer in aging field

A newly published list of 2017’s top 50 “Influencers in Aging” includes Pinchas Cohen, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and principal investigator with USC Stem Cell. The list …

Nanoparticles vs. germs (Photo courtesy of @nanopeek); featured image for Peeking into the science world

Peeking into the science world

For adolescents, social media use is nearly inevitable. According to “Science Daily,” a website that circulates recently developed research news headlines, 76 percent of teenagers in the United States actively use Instagram …

Eun Ji Chung (Photo by Michelle Henry); featured image for Eun Ji Chung receives 2017 AIChE 35 Under 35 Award

Eun Ji Chung receives 2017 AIChE 35 Under 35 Award

To describe Eun Ji Chung as “goal-oriented” might be the understatement of the year. Chung, a Gabilan Assistant Professor in the USC Viterbi Department of Biomedical Engineering and USC Stem Cell principal investigator, …

Two types of progenitor cells from dissociated skin—epidermal (green) and dermal (red)—undergo a series of morphological transitions to form reconstituted skin. (Images by Mingxing Lei/Cheng-Ming Chuong Lab); featured image for USC Stem Cell scientists obtain “how to” guide for producing hair follicles

USC Stem Cell scientists obtain “how to” guide for producing hair follicles

How does the skin develop follicles and eventually sprout hair? A USC-led study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), addresses this question using insights gleaned from organoids, …

Joanna Smeeton with her husband Jeremy Morris and their twins Edie and Isaac (Photo by Sandra Kielback); featured image for USC Stem Cell scientist Joanna Smeeton wins NIH Pathway to Independence Award

USC Stem Cell scientist Joanna Smeeton wins NIH Pathway to Independence Award

After her breakthrough discovery that zebrafish can be used to study arthritis, postdoctoral fellow Joanna Smeeton has received a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award. Known as the …

Rat; featured image for USC Stem Cell researchers receive $3 million of NIH funding to produce sophisticated laboratory rats

USC Stem Cell researchers receive $3 million of NIH funding to produce sophisticated laboratory rats

USC Stem Cell principal investigator Qi-Long Ying and his team are pleased to introduce a new transgenic animal—the conditional and inducible gene knockout rat. Created using embryonic stem cell-based technology, these remarkable …

Pluripotency (Painting by Amanda Kwieraga); featured image for USC alumna Amanda Kwieraga makes paintings from acrylic, wood and stem cell science

USC alumna Amanda Kwieraga makes paintings from acrylic, wood and stem cell science

“Anyone who views something under a microscope or through a telescope will tell you that science is art, and that art is the perfect way to convey science,” said Amanda Kwieraga, an …

Natasha Natarajan (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for Trojan Natasha Natarajan looks to the future of stem cells

Trojan Natasha Natarajan looks to the future of stem cells

“Everyone in this audience right now, you all started out as a stem cell,” said Natasha Natarajan at the 2017 TEDxUSC conference. “And then your DNA came in, did all the work, …

Human development (Image courtesy of Evseenko Lab); featured image for Whittier Foundation backs new group of research projects

Whittier Foundation backs new group of research projects

The L.K. Whittier Foundation has been a critical source of funding for cancer research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, supporting clinicians and …

A window into the mammalian middle ear (Image by Camilla Teng/Crump Lab); featured image for Researchers listen to zebrafish to understand human hearing loss

Researchers listen to zebrafish to understand human hearing loss

Can a fish with a malformed jaw tell us something about hearing loss in mice and humans? The answer is yes, according to a new publication in Scientific Reports.

Clockwise from top left: Andy McMahon, Rohit Varma, Jonathan Samet and Donna Spruijt-Metz (Photos courtesy of USC); featured image for NIH funding helps Americans live longer and healthier

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 …

Kidney organoid (Image by Tracy Tran/McMcMahon Lab); featured image for USC’s stem cell scientists secure the dollars to fight disease

USC’s stem cell scientists secure the dollars to fight disease

The price of progress is not only the energy and talent of stem cell scientists, but also the research dollars that support their discoveries. In recent months, faculty members have secured numerous …

Jay R. Lieberman (Photo by Les Dunseith); featured image for Jay R. Lieberman receives $2.2 million NIH grant to fund research on healing difficult bone injuries

Jay R. Lieberman receives $2.2 million NIH grant to fund research on healing difficult bone injuries

Jay R. Lieberman, chair and professor of orthopedic surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California has received a five-year, $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes …

From left, D'Juan Farmer and Gage Crump (Photo by Cristy Lytal)

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 …

From left, Nelson Poliran Jr. and Charles Bramlett (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for Countdown to Commencement: Nelson Poliran Jr.—failure driven success

Countdown to Commencement: Nelson Poliran Jr.—failure driven success

“Focus on one goal, be open minded and be persistent.” These are wise words from Nelson Poliran Jr., a standout scientist-in-training at USC. Poliran’s academic success hasn’t always come easily, though.

Barbara Kolo and Andy McMahon (Photo by Richard Carrasco); featured image for Artist plus researcher equals infinite inspiration at the Keck School of Medicine of USC

Artist plus researcher equals infinite inspiration at the Keck School of Medicine of USC

What happens when you pair 14 artists with 14 USC biomedical researchers? The answer is currently on display at the Hoyt Gallery on the Health Sciences Campus of the Keck School of …