Overview

USC Stem Cell scientists are advancing our understanding of how the body develops, maintains and regenerates the heart, lungs and blood. They are also developing new regenerative treatments for the millions of patients with diseases of the heart, lungs, immune system and blood.

Statistics

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. In the US every year, approximately 700,000 people die of heart disease—the cause of one in five deaths.
• An estimated 1.29 million people in the US are living with or in remission from blood cancer—leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma.
• Globally, 36.7 million people are living with the autoimmune disease HIV, and 1.8 million of these are children. An estimated 35 million people have died from HIV-related causes so far.
• More than 30,000 people in the US and 70,000 worldwide are living with the inherited lung disease cystic fibrosis, which limits the ability to breathe.