Stories
Where are they now? Stem cell master’s program alumnus Nelson Poliran, Jr., a dentist in rural New Mexico
In this series of alumni profiles, we highlight graduates of USC’s master of science program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Our accomplished alumni have pursued many different paths—ranging from a …
USC collaboration helps FaceBase reach 1,000-dataset milestone
The data repository allows craniofacial scientists to share data, which could ultimately lead to improved care for patients with craniofacial developmental disorders. Rapid technological development in the past decade has allowed scientists …
USC Professor Scott E. Fraser redefines impossible problems
USC Professor Scott E. Fraser is known for inventing new microscopes and other tools to observe living, developing embryos. But one of his lab’s most important pieces of technology filters coffee instead …
USC researchers regenerate skull tissue using stem cells and 3-D printed scaffolding in swine
Every year, surgeons perform more than 5,000 cranioplasties—surgeries that restore cranial defects—on patients who have experienced critical size cranial defects resulting from congenital defects, head trauma or tumor removals. Traditional materials used …
A quantum leap
Ostrow jumps to fourth top-funded U.S. dental institution by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. If a global pandemic was meant to slow researchers down in their quest for knowledge, …
USC celebrates Robert E. Maxson’s lifetime of achievement and adventure
USC Emeritus Professor Robert E. Maxson has an understated explanation for why he’s flown so many planes, sailed so many boats, skied so many mountains, played so many guitars, taken so many …
Is this the gamechanger we’ve been waiting for in craniosynostosis?
One of our every 2,500 infants born in the United States will suffer from craniosynostosis — a craniofacial defect caused by the premature fusion of the different bones that comprise the human …
Stem cells may correct deformity and restore brain function after childhood disorder
USC scientists have regenerated parts of the skull affected by a common birth defect called craniosynostosis. Using stem cells to regenerate parts of the skull, USC scientists partially corrected a skull deformity …
California’s biggest stem cell experiment: The impact of the stem cell ballot proposition at USC
In 2008, USC broke ground on an $80 million building dedicated solely to stem cell research and regenerative medicine. The plans called for a monolithic structure clad in black marble and reflective …
USC-led research team shares 10 years’ progress in collecting data to push craniofacial science forward
It has been a little more than a decade since the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) launched FaceBase, a central repository for craniofacial datasets and tools meant to advance …
Investigating the neighboring environment for stem cells
A long-held goal in dental research is to harness the power of stem cells to regenerate bone and dental tissue. But to do so, it’s important to fully understand the environment the …
Yang Chai appointed University Professor
Associate Dean of Research Yang Chai PhD ’91, DDS ’96 has been appointed a University Professor, making history as the first faculty member to achieve such distinction at the Ostrow School of …
Center for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Tissue and Organ Regeneration awarded $30-million grant
The studies seem like something straight out of science fiction. There’s one focused on using stem cells to regenerate skull bone for patients with skull defects. Another aims to develop a hydrogel …
Cleft palate research continues to help patients
Associate Dean of Research Yang Chai PhD ’91, DDS ’96 has been awarded a five-year, nearly $2 million grant by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) for research focused …
USC researchers receive $12.5 million grant for craniofacial research data-sharing endeavor
Nearly half of all birth defects involve the face and skull and, for the most part, scientists remain unclear as to why most occur. To better serve families at risk for these …
Ostrow researchers discover how genes for tooth roots turn on and off
To figure out how the body changes over time, researchers are increasingly looking to understand epigenetics, the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of …
Yang Chai bridges the gap from the lab bench to the dental chair
As a young oral surgeon in China, Yang Chai often operated on babies born with cleft lips or palates. “You talk to the parents, and they were very emotional and trying find …
Researchers seek the root of tooth development
The lower two-thirds of a tooth are known as the root. Normally covered in bone, they anchor the tooth into the jaw. But the exact mechanisms and pathways that create the root …
USC researchers draw closer to biological treatment for birth defect
Could we be one step closer to developing a biological treatment for craniosynostosis? Building upon a body of research that demonstrated that the premature fusion of skull bones — which can cause …
USC researchers converge at the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Symposium
“The field of stem cell biology is one of our great convergence opportunities,” said USC Provost Michael Quick, addressing an audience of biologists, chemists, physicists, engineers, clinicians and many others. This diverse …