Ostrow School study links growth factor glitch to tongue defects
New findings about how cell signaling directs tongue development may have big clinical applications for healing tongue defects, according to an Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC study published in The Journal …
Winner of the August 2013 USC Stem Cell Image of the Month Contest
Dr. Andrew McMahon and the judges of the USC Stem Cell Image of the Month contest would like to congratulate our August 2013 winners, Dr. Seth Ruffins and Sandeep Paul, a postdoc …
First Zilkha Alzheimer’s Mini-Symposium examines vascular system connections
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and more than five million Americans live with the disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Conquering Alzheimer’s was the …
Businessman invests in stem cell research at USC
Chinese businessman Yong Chen has pledged $1 million to USC stem cell researcher Qi-Long Ying to support his future “eureka moments.” “When I talked to Mr. Chen, I told him that groundbreaking …
A special protein helps embryonic stem cells keep their options open
In the ongoing quest to understand how embryonic stem cells (ESCs) retain their ability to differentiate into virtually any kind of cell, USC faculty member Qi-Long Ying and a team of researchers …
USC announces winners of first Regenerative Medicine Initiative awards
Three newly assembled disease teams within USC Stem Cell will take the early steps this year that might lead to future stem-cell based therapies for certain forms of deafness, bone defects and …
A genetic catch-22 promotes and prevents liver cancer
Can the same gene prevent and promote cancer? When it comes to liver cancer, the gene that codes for P53, a protein found in humans and many other animals, involves this catch-22. …
Stem cells found in gum tissue can fight inflammatory disease
Stem cells found in mouth tissue can not only become other types of cells but can also relieve inflammatory disease, according to a new Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC study in …
2013 EiHS & CIRM STAR Colloquium and Poster Presentation
James Hur (right), a student from Harvard-Westlake School, describes his research on healing radiation wounds at the USC Early Investigator High School (EiHS) & USC CIRM Science, Technology and Research (STAR) Colloquium …
Winner of the July 2013 USC Stem Cell Image of the Month Contest
Dr. Andrew McMahon, Dr. Seth Ruffins and the judges of the USC Stem Cell Image of the Month contest would like to congratulate our July 2013 winner, Elisabeth Rutledge, a PhD student …
Forum kicks off USC’s summer high school programs in stem cell research
More than 20 local students are enjoying a summer of hands-on experience in stem research laboratories through the USC Early Investigator High School (EiHS) and the USC CIRM Science, Technology and Research …
USC professor presents Alzheimer’s findings at international conference
USC School of Pharmacy Professor Roberta Diaz Brinton, holder of the R. Pete Vanderveen Chair in Therapeutic Discovery and Development, presented her work on Allopregnanolone and the phase 1 trial that will …
USC study sheds light on stem cell reprogramming
Researchers are learning how to turn regular cells into stem cells, a process called reprogramming. However, some of the mechanisms of the process remain unknown, such as why only a small proportion of the cells can be reprogrammed. Researchers have at least part of the answer: the structure of genes.
Common genetic disease linked to father’s age
Scientists at USC have unlocked the mystery of why new cases of the genetic disease Noonan syndrome are so common—a mutation, which causes the disease, disproportionately increases a normal father’s production of …
USC hosts mini-symposium on musculoskeletal development and repair
With its combination of bone, muscle, joints and more, the human musculoskeletal system is a complicated tangle of connections that can be difficult to repair. That was the challenge facing a panel …
New study identifies the cellular origin of liver fibrosis
Fibrosis is the process of scar tissue formation. Liver fibrosis can be caused by injury to the liver, chronic viral infection and alcohol abuse. Advanced liver fibrosis can lead to cirrhosis, portal …
Technology and science converge
What does a bacterial flange actually look like? Going way beyond the microscope, researchers from across several schools at USC and The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., gathered this month …
New method to treat chemo-related jaw bone necrosis
Over the last decade, osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) has emerged as a devastating and debilitating condition of cancer patients receiving high doses of antiresorptive chemotherapy (bisphosphonates and denosumab). ONJ currently has …
Interview with Sir John Gurdon
Sir John Gurdon, a Nobel Prize-winning biologist whose experiments in the field of cloning laid the foundation for modern stem cell research, visited the USC Health Sciences Campus on May 16. He …
Nobel Laureate discusses history of cloning
Cells can be stubborn things. A skin cell resists changing into a liver cell, and a heart cell wants to remain a heart cell. But with the right kind of manipulation, they …