Year: 2017

Imagine an ever-renewing source of immune cells that can be engineered to attack cancer and infections. The winners of this year’s Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Award at USC are already striving to turn this exciting concept into a reality. The collaborative research project brings together Qi-Long Ying and Rong Lu, two faculty members in…Continue Reading Broad Innovation Award winners work to develop cancer immunotherapy

If you’ve seen one GSK3 molecule, do not assume that you have seen them all. A new study in Developmental Cell reveals important differences in two similar forms of GSK3, which, in excess, is implicated in diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. In the study, first author Xi Chen—a PhD student in the USC Stem…Continue Reading Subtle cues can dictate the fate of stem cells

Just as beauty exists in the eye of the beholder, a signal depends upon the interpretation of the receiver. According to new USC research published in Stem Cell Reports, a protein called TAZ can convey very different signals—depending upon not only which variety of stem cell, but also which part of the stem cell receives…Continue Reading The protein TAZ sends “mixed signals” to stem cells

“The most important discoveries that I’ve made have all come from nowhere,” said Qi-Long Ying, associate professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at USC. “They could not be planned.” To foster this spirit of unexpected discovery, Chinese biotechnology entrepreneur Min Zhou has given an unrestricted gift of $500,000 to Ying’s lab, which studies…Continue Reading Biotech entrepreneur Min Zhou supports scientific serendipity in the Ying Lab

Qi-Long Ying and Rong Lu have received an award from L.K. Whittier Foundation for research on the expansion and characterization of human granulocyte-macrophage progenitors. To read more, visit stemcell.usc.edu/2017/07/07/whittier-foundation-backs-new-group-of-research-projects….Continue Reading Qi-Long Ying and Rong Lu receive award from L.K. Whittier Foundation

The price of progress is not only the energy and talent of stem cell scientists, but also the research dollars that support their discoveries. In recent months, faculty members have secured numerous grants to support stem cell-based approaches to study and treat illnesses ranging from osteoarthritis to Alzheimer’s disease to cystic fibrosis. To read more,…Continue Reading USC’s stem cell scientists secure the dollars to fight disease