“Million-dollar ideas” seminar

USC PhD student Louise Menendez examines the prototype of a potential device to treat patients with liver disease. (Photo by Cristy Lytal)

At a special seminar on February 24, USC Stem Cell Principal Investigators discussed their “million-dollar ideas” for creating new tools and technologies to usher in the era of regenerative medicine. They shared research plans for their new, three-year Tools and Technologies grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

An associate professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Pediatrics, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Paula Cannon is developing next-generation tools to genetically edit hematopoietic stem cells as a treatment for HIV, immune deficiencies and blood diseases.

Toshio Miki at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC is creating a stem cell-derived “extracorporeal liver support system,” which could function as a temporary liver for patients.

Qi-Long Ying, also at USC’s stem cell research center, is using stem cell-based technology to generate rat models for heart failure, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.