USC Stem Cell

03/27/2026

Meet the four scholarship recipients in USC’s stem cell master’s program that are combining medicine with mentorship and science with service. This year’s recipients are Dean’s Fellow Erik Gutierrez and Cardinal and Dhablania-Kim Fellows Logan Beharry, Ken Furuichi and Brian Rubio.

From authoring a bilingual STEM coloring book to mentoring biotechnology students at Los Angeles Mission College, this year’s scholarship recipients in USC’s stem cell master’s program are using science to innovate and uplift others.

Supported by the Office of the Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the Dhablania-Kim family and an anonymous donor who established the Cardinal Fellowship, the scholarships recognize students who not only succeed academically, but also drive innovation and expand opportunities for others.

03/26/2026

The heat was ON! On March 13th, USC Stem Cell hosted its first-ever Spice Competition, inviting team members to showcase their culinary creativity through one shared passion, bold, spicy flavors.

Participants brought their finest spiced dishes, each competing for the distinguished title of Spice Crown Champion. Pictured here are highlights from the event, with a special feature on our inaugural winners! Congratulations to all who participated and made this first competition a memorable success. We look forward to making this a cherished tradition.

03/25/2026

"Often, by the time people show significant symptoms, today's interventions offer limited help," Wynnie Nguyen said. "We want to fill that gap in interventions for Alzheimer's."

Wynnie Nguyen, a USC Stem Cell PhD student, was awarded a $115,000 grant from the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund for research aimed at reversing the course of dementia by stimulating the growth of new brain cells. Her team identified a gene linked to neural stem cell function in the brain, one that, when it declines with age, disrupts the production of new neurons critical for learning and memory. Through drug treatment or gene therapy, they hope to restore that gene's activity and renew the brain's regenerative capacity. The Cure Alzheimer’s Fund recognized her work alongside mentor Michael Bonaguidi, PhD, associate professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, gerontology, biomedical engineering, and neurological surgery, and assistant director of the USC Neurorestoration Center.

Full article available in the comments.

03/19/2026

Parkinson’s disease affects more than one million people in the United States, with approximately 90,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Although available treatments can help manage symptoms, there is currently no cure or therapy proven to slow the progression of the disease, but researchers at Keck Medicine are working to change that.

Keck Medicine of USC is conducting an early-phase clinical trial investigating the safety and effectiveness of implanting specialized stem cells into the brain that have been programmed to replace damaged brain cells and produce dopamine.

Link to the full article in the comments.

03/10/2026

Yang Chai, dean of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC and University Professor of Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine and Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at the Keck School, is a Beijing-born clinician-scientist whose early fascination with faces became a lifelong focus on understanding and treating craniofacial birth defects. Growing up in China in a family of medical professionals, his path has led him to a distinguished, family-rooted career at USC, where he now advances research, education, patient care and interdisciplinary collaboration while cultivating a culture of excellence and resilience.

His path to USC from China led the clinician-scientist through resilience and growth — and now the Ostrow Dean will nurture learning, patient care and research into the future.

03/05/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Giorgia Quadrato, who was awarded an honorable mention for the International Society for Stem Cell Research Early Career Award for her extraordinary scientific achievements and leadership that is advancing stem cell research across neuroscience, developmental biology, organoid systems, and regenerative medicine. Dr. Quadrato is a global leader in human brain organoid research whose work focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular basis of human brain development and disease.

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03/03/2026

We are thrilled to congratulate Dr. Ksenia Gnedeva on receiving the 2026 Geraldine Dietz Fox Young Investigator Award from the ARO Association for Research in Otolaryngology.

Dr. Ksenia Gnedeva, PhD, an assistant professor in the USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, is recognized for her work in understanding the development and regeneration of the inner ear's sensory hearing cells.

02/17/2026

Take a journey into the world of stem cell biology with our Masters program at USC! Our application portal is open! If you would like to learn more, please register for our INFO SESSION on Feb. 20, by clicking here: bit.ly/3JqJJUu.

02/04/2026

01/28/2026

“Where I am now is ‘give-back’ time,” the Half Century Trojan says.

01/16/2026

Dean's POV 📸 I'm blown away by this photo of a lab-grown human kidney assembloid, and was thrilled to hear it was selected by Nature as Image of the Year.

Scientists from the Li Lab at USC Stem Cell combined kidney filtering and urine-concentrating components to create “assembloids,” the most mature and complex kidney structures ever grown in a lab and a tool for developing new therapies. Incredible!

(Image by Pedro Medina/Li Lab/USC Stem Cell)

01/13/2026

Can stem cells build artificial kidneys? Dr. Nils Lindstrom, an assistant professor for the Department of USC Stem Cell at Keck School of Medicine of USC, breaks it down.