USC Stem Cell

12/19/2025

Researchers at USC Roski Eye Institute, part of Keck Medicine of USC, are launching a phase 2b clinical trial examining if stem cells bioengineered to replace failing cells in the retina damaged by macular degeneration could restore eyesight. Learn more: https://news.keckmedicine.org/can-a-retinal-implant-reverse-macular-degeneration/.

LOS ANGELES — Age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss and blindness for Americans 65 and older, is a progressive disease affecting central vision. Over time, faces, book pages and anything directly in front of a person become obscured by blurry, dark or blind spots.Now, ...

12/17/2025

A little holiday cheer with the Department of Stem Cell at the Keck School of Medicine of USC🎄 From Habit food truck favorites to a gingerbread house–making competition, it was a sweet way to celebrate the season together.

12/04/2025

USC Stem Cell’s Chuck Murry shows heart for local third-graders through the medical and cancer STEM programs! Check out some highlight below and read the full story here: https://stemcell.keck.usc.edu/chuck-murry-shows-heart-for-local-third-graders-through-the-medical-and-cancer-stem-programs/.

11/26/2025

Dean Meltzer, we truly appreciate you!

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for:

‣Students asking tough questions that even seasoned faculty have to think about

‣Laughter during stressful times

‣Researchers who celebrate both breakthroughs and failed experiments, because both move science forward

‣Faculty who are excited about teaching (and learning from!) their students

‣The joy that comes from our wonderful community partnerships

‣A patient who shares how their Keck care made all the difference

‣The simple fact that the work we do matters. . . every day

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

—Dean Carolyn Meltzer, MD

11/25/2025

What can we learn from people who live for 30-40 years with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons. The Ichida Lab is doing research in ALS to find out.

11/21/2025

What can lizard tail regrowth teach us about regeneration?

Tom Lozito, PhD, Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, breaks down the science, and how these insights could push his research forward.

11/18/2025

Why does Ewing sarcoma, a rare, aggressive cancer, mainly affect children and show such primitive cell features?

A new study from Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Keck School of Medicine of USC may finally have answers.

Researchers found that neural crest cells can be reprogrammed into tumor-forming cells, revealing a potential cellular origin of this childhood cancer.

Learn more here:

CHLA researchers have uncovered a likely cell of origin for Ewing sarcoma, offering new insight into how this childhood cancer begins.

11/11/2025

Take a journey into the world of stem cell biology with our USC Stem Cell master's program at Keck School of Medicine of USC! Our info session will take place on Nov. 20, and the application portal is open at https://gradadm.usc.edu.

11/07/2025

Scientists combine 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.

11/07/2025

Egg whites may be perfect for a health-conscious breakfast, but egg yolks turned out to be the key ingredient for cultivating bird embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in the lab. Using a growing medium of egg yolk along with a few other key factors, a USC Stem Cell-led team of scientists has succeeded in de...

11/07/2025

Did you know zebrafish share many of the same genes as humans?

Gage Crump, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at USC Stem Cell, explains how this tiny fish is helping advance human health research.