Stories
Unraveling the mysteries of stem cells
New research harnesses machine learning and imaging to give unprecedented insight into stem cell behavior that could enable future lifesaving therapies. Stem cells are like the emergency tool kit of the human …
Turning a tumor’s “shield” into a weapon against itself
USC Viterbi biomedical engineers have designed a new protein that targets and disables tumor cells’ defenses while marking cancer cells for death. Tumor cells are “cunning,” according to Peter Yingxiao Wang. They …
A green light to build muscle cells on command
It may sound like something from science fiction. To grow and modify muscle tissue in the lab using technology that shapes the muscle cells, blood vessels and nerves into whatever pattern you …
Nanoparticles “hitchhike” on immune cells to catch cancer metastasis early
USC Viterbi researchers have designed particles that can light up the lymph node cancer cells otherwise undetectable by MRI. Our lymph nodes are the canaries in the coal mine of our immune …
Skeletal muscle grown in a dish offers new insight for neuromuscular diseases
Neuromuscular diseases are debilitating and mostly incurable, affecting 160 out of every 100,000 people worldwide. Disorders such as ALS and multiple sclerosis impact the function of muscles, causing muscle wastage and loss …
Brain development and disorder research receives $1.5 million NSF boost
The human brain is an incredibly complex organ to study in its living tissue form. Researchers cannot experiment on human tissue directly, and animal models are often too different to human physiology …
Megan McCain is one of six USC Viterbi faculty to win NSF CAREER Award
A record six assistant professors at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering — Megan McCain, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Mitul Luhar, Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engienering; Aleksandra Korolova and Haipeng Luo, Department of Computer Science; and Daniel …
Lighting up cardiovascular problems using nanoparticles
Heart disease and stroke are the world’s two most deadly diseases, causing over 15 million deaths in 2016 according to the World Health Organization. A key underlying factor in both of these …
Keyue Shen to lead ongoing research initiative into cancer metastasis
Cancer is the world’s second leading cause of mortality. According to the World Health Organization, it was responsible for around 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Yet over 90 percent of cancer deaths …
Ellis Meng and Mike Waterman elected fellows of the National Academy of Inventors
Ellis Meng, a professor of biomedical engineering and electrical engineering, who holds the Gabilan Distinguished Professorship in Science and Engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and University Professor, Michael Waterman, …