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Developing human nephron, the filtering unit of the kidney (Image by Nils O. Lindström and Tracy Tran/McMahon Lab); featured image for From perfectly punctual to fashionably late, it takes all kinds to build a kidney

From perfectly punctual to fashionably late, it takes all kinds to build a kidney

Running early or running late can have big consequences—especially when it comes to the progenitor cells involved in human kidney development. According to a new study in Developmental Cell from the USC …

Engineered mouse cells (Image courtesy of Leonardo Morsut); featured image for Synthetic “tissues” build themselves

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 …

A healthy T cell (Image courtesy of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases); featured image for When it comes to balancing the immune system, some blood stem cells are better than others

When it comes to balancing the immune system, some blood stem cells are better than others

In your body, blood stem cells produce approximately 10 billion new white blood cells, which are also known as immune cells, each and every day. Even more remarkably, if some of these …

Pat Levitt (Photo courtesy of CHLA); featured image for Patt Levitt named inaugural Chief Scientific Officer at 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.

Metastatic breast cancer cells (yellow) interacting with macrophages (magenta) (Image by Oihana Iriondo/Yu Lab); featured image for Particle shows promise for treating the most deadly type of breast cancer

Particle shows promise for treating the most deadly type of breast cancer

USC Stem Cell researchers from the laboratory of Min Yu have positive news for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most deadly type of breast cancer. By inhibiting a protein called …

Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC (Photo by Chris Shinn); featured image for 2018 Call for applications: T32 Training Fellowships in Developmental Biology, Stem Cells, and Regeneration

2018 Call for applications: T32 Training Fellowships in Developmental Biology, Stem Cells, and Regeneration

All USC PhD students who are conducting research related to developmental biology, stem cell biology and/or regenerative medicine are encouraged to apply for a training fellowship. We have several slots available for …

A PhD candidate is hooded during the 13th Keck School of Medicine of USC commencement ceremony for PhD, Master of Science and Master of Global Health graduates, held May 12 at the Galen Center. (Photo by GradImages); featured image for Commencement 2018: PhD, master’s graduates encouraged to embrace emotions

Commencement 2018: PhD, master’s graduates encouraged to embrace emotions

For a room full of scientists and future clinicians, Mary Helen Immordino-Yang’s advice seemed slightly counterintuitive. But the speaker for the 13th Keck School of Medicine of USC commencement ceremony for PhD, …

Siddhartha Mukherjee speaks at the USC 2018 commencement ceremony. (Photo by David Sprague); featured image for Commencement 2018: More than 17,000 receive degrees at main ceremony

Commencement 2018: More than 17,000 receive degrees at main ceremony

When Siddhartha Mukherjee took the stage at the USC 2018 commencement this morning, he shared a tip with a new generation of Trojans. “I wish someone had told me at my own …

A developing metacarpal joint with skeletal stem cells (green) and mature cartilage cells (red). (Image courtesy of the Evseenko Lab); featured image for Denis Evseenko receives $4 million for arthritis research

Denis Evseenko receives $4 million for arthritis research

Denis Evseenko, a stem cell researcher at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has been awarded two grants totaling more than $4 million to support osteoarthritis research. A $3.4 million R01 …

The gift from Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg will establish a research fund at the USC Institute for Biomedical Therapeutics. (Photo courtesy of Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg); featured image for Gift supports biomedical innovation at USC

Gift supports biomedical innovation at USC

A $10 million gift from Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg will provide critical funding for innovative research at USC into debilitating neurosensory diseases.

Kella Vangsness (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for USC’s Kella Vangsness paints stem cells as superheroes

USC’s Kella Vangsness paints stem cells as superheroes

With captions by Kella Vangsness “As an artist and scientist, I cannot help but imagine stem cells as ‘superheroes’ fighting against ‘villains’ of disease,” said Kella Vangsness, who is graduating from USC …

From left, Malcolm Gebauer and Aabha Morey (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for Countdown to Commencement: Malcolm Gebauer pushes the envelope of medicine

Countdown to Commencement: Malcolm Gebauer pushes the envelope of medicine

Malcolm Gebauer was only five years old when his father was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a deadly form of blood cancer. “My father was given a verdict of six months before …

Synapses in the mammalian cochlea (Image courtesy of Juemei Wang); featured image for Simple treatment may minimize hearing loss triggered by loud noises

Simple treatment may minimize hearing loss triggered by loud noises

It’s well known that exposure to extremely loud noises — whether it’s an explosion, a firecracker or even a concert — can lead to permanent hearing loss. But knowing how to treat …

Graduation cap; featured image for Commencement 2018: Information about the Health Sciences ceremonies

Commencement 2018: Information about the Health Sciences ceremonies

The 135th Commencement at the University of Southern California begins at 8:30 a.m. May 11 at Alumni Memorial Park. Individual school ceremonies follow the main ceremony. Here is a list of times, …

Zea Borok (Photo by Ricardo Carrasco III); featured image for Gift boosts lung disease research at the Keck School

Gift boosts lung disease research at the Keck School

Pioneering research on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of advanced lung disease is being strengthened at the Keck School of Medicine of USC thanks to generous support from the Hastings Foundation.

From left, Priya Kumar and Mila Scheinberg (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for Countdown to Commencement: Mila Scheinberg is an athlete, artist and future orthopedic surgeon

Countdown to Commencement: Mila Scheinberg is an athlete, artist and future orthopedic surgeon

At first glance, Mila Scheinberg’s passions seem unrelated: she has always been interested in medicine, loves to exercise and won many awards for her paintings in high school. However, in the masterpiece …

Laura Mosqueda (Photo by Ricardo Carrasco III); featured image for Laura Mosqueda tapped as dean of the Keck School

Laura Mosqueda tapped as dean of the Keck School

USC has appointed Laura Mosqueda, MD, as dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, effective May 1. Mosqueda, who was appointed the school’s interim dean in October, is an accomplished physician, …

From left, Mohamed El-Farra and Anna Konecny (Photo by Cristy Lytal); featured image for Countdown to Commencement: Mohamed El-Farra pursues holistic and humanistic medicine

Countdown to Commencement: Mohamed El-Farra pursues holistic and humanistic medicine

For Mohamed El-Farra, medicine does not stop at the disease or the injury. “I want to create a holistic type of medicine. I want to bring in people’s backgrounds and see the …

Kidney (Image by Lori O'Brien/Andy McMahon Lab, illustration by Mira Nameth)

Growing hope: New organs? Not yet, but stem cell research is getting closer

If you lose a limb, it’s lost for life. If you damage a kidney, you won’t grow a new one. And if you have a heart attack, the scars are there to …

Tubular networks developing in a mammalian kidney (Image by Tracy Tran/Andy McMahon Lab); featured image for Growing hope: What are stem cells, and how does USC use them?

Growing hope: What are stem cells, and how does USC use them?

Stem cell therapies have accelerated at a promising pace, but how do they work? And what are stem cells?