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# USC Stem Cell
* a departmentUSC’s Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine offers multidisciplinary educational opportunities for undergraduate, master’s, PhD and medical students as well as postdocs, clinical fellows and professionals at all stages of their careers.
* a centerThe Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC hosts world-class laboratories and provides cutting-edge research facilities for cell and tissue imaging, therapeutic screening, flow cytometry and genome modification.
* a university-wide initiativeThe USC Stem Cell initiative connects over 100 research and clinical faculty in multiple disciplines across USC and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. These researchers collaborate to leverage the transformative power of stem cells to develop new therapies for a spectrum of diseases.
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## News
* An earful of gill: USC Stem Cell study points to the evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer earThe outer ear is unique to mammals, but its evolutionary origin has remained a mystery. According to a new study published in Nature from the USC Stem Cell lab of Gage Crump, …
* USC Stem Cell study breaks the silence on how fish and lizards regenerate hearingA new USC Stem Cell study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has identified key gene regulators that enable some deafened animals—including fish and lizards—to naturally regenerate …
* To remember conversations, keep making new brain cellsUSC-led study of patients with epilepsy shows how making new neurons benefits cognition in adults. Why do adults make new brain cells? A new study published in Cell Stem Cell provides the …
* Cell by cell: Rebuilding the bodyUSC researchers are revolutionizing how we treat disease by harnessing stem cells as “living medicine.” Anyone who’s healed from a cut or a scrape has witnessed the incredible regenerative power of stem …
## Events
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      !  February 4 11 am
      !  February 11 10 am
# USC Stem Cell welcomes new leader, physician-scientist Chuck Murry.
## Meet Our Researchers
- Charles (Chuck) Murry, MD, PhD
- Peter Yingxiao Wang, PhD
- Yulia Shwartz, PhD
- Louise Menendez, PhD
- Ksenia Gnedeva, PhD
- Mohamed Abou-el-Enein, MD, PhD, MSPH
- Albert E. Almada, PhD
- Nils Lindström, PhD
- Unmesh Jadhav, PhD
- Thomas Lozito, PhD
- Oliver Bell, PhD
- Giorgia Quadrato, PhD
- Ching-Ling (Ellen) Lien, PhD
- Robert E. Maxson, PhD
- Qi-Long Ying, MD, PhD
- Leonardo Morsut, PhD
- Megan McCain, PhD
- Francesca Mariani, PhD
- Rong Lu, PhD
- Zhongwei Li, PhD
- Justin Ichida, PhD
- Senta Georgia, PhD
- Scott E. Fraser, PhD
- Denis Evseenko, MD, PhD
- Gage Crump, PhD
- Yang Chai, DDS, PhD
- Paula Cannon, PhD
- Michael Bonaguidi, PhD
- Andrew P. McMahon, PhD, FRS
## in this section
## Find Education and Training Opportunities
* The department offers a Minor in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, participates in the USC CIRM COMPASS Scholars Program, and hosts undergraduates for hands-on stem cell research.
* The one-year Master of Science program offers courses in cutting-edge biomedical science, including developmental biology, human embryology, regenerative medicine, and the translational and therapeutic aspects of stem cell technology. The program also provides practical hands-on laboratory experience with stem cells.
* The PhD program in Development, Stem Cells, and Regenerative Medicine trains the next generation of scientific investigators in the history and practice of developmental and stem cell biology.
* USC Stem Cell’s labs host medical students and fellows for hands-on stem cell research.
* USC Stem Cell prepares the best and brightest postdoctoral trainees for successful careers in academia and industry.
## Explore Research Facilities
* CIRM ASCEND Program
* Flow Cytometry Facility
* Optical Imaging Facility
## Learn About Our Research
## Videos
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**USC CIRM COMPASS Scholars Program**
For 20 undergraduate students at USC, stem cell research is more than the topic of a lecture or an article in a textbook. It’s the focus of a comprehensive two-year program designed to prepare juniors and seniors for careers in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. 
Keck School of Medicine of USC
1975 Zonal Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90033
**Phone:** (323) 442-1900
**Hours:**
Monday–Friday
7:30am–5:00pm PST
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# About
Stem Cell FAQs
### What is a stem cell?
A stem cell has two important properties: it is self-renewing and can multiply to produce more stem cells; and it is unspecialized and can differentiate into many specialized cell types. Our body contains multiple types of stem cells, each committed to the maintenance and repair of a specific type of tissue—blood, skin, muscle, etc. Importantly, an absence of stem cells in some key organs, including the heart and kidney, correlates with a limited repair capability.
(Illustration by Diana Molleda)
In 2006, scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered that differentiated cells obtained from adult tissues (skin, blood, etc.) can be reprogrammed to a state very similar to stem cells in the early embryo. These induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs share with embryo stem cells the power to generate any cell type of the adult body, given the appropriate set of conditions. iPSCs from patients can be used to create specific disease models and enable screening for potential therapeutic drugs. iPSCs can also serve as a source for off-the-shelf or personalized stem cell therapies.
### What is regenerative medicine?
Regenerative medicine is the therapeutic application of stem cells, and an understanding of how our bodies are built, maintained and repaired, to treat disease and disorders. Regenerative approaches may apply cell-based treatments directly in a patient, or use gene therapies to correct genetic disorders affecting normal tissue functions. In addition, stem cell-directed disease modeling provides new insights for therapy development and a platform to screen for disease-fighting drugs.
Mission and History
### Mission
Our mission is to discover the molecular and cellular mechanisms that establish and renew the body’s organ systems and to apply these discoveries to treating disease. We build and share an understanding of stem cells and regenerative medicine through research, collaboration and education.
### History
“This will hopefully be the anchor of a new biomedical corridor in the region, where the nation’s most cutting-edge research is conducted by some of the brightest minds in science.” -Eli Broad
In February 2006, Eli and Edythe Broad created the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC with a $30 million gift to the . Along with $27 million in public funding from the state’s stem cell funding agency, the , the Broad’s visionary investment laid the foundation for stem cell research at USC.
The Broads also funded two other stem cell centers at the , and the , and provided the founding support for the .
Eli Broad was a renowned business leader, who built two Fortune 500 companies: SunAmerica Inc. and KB Home (formerly Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation).
In 1999, Eli and Edythe Broad decided to turn their lifelong commitment to philanthropy into their lives’ work, focusing their investments on K–12 public schools, access to the arts, and scientific and medical research. These areas held special significance for them as graduates of Detroit public schools, collectors and champions of art and architecture, and parents of a son who struggles with an incurable disease.
Eli Broad passed away in 2021, and  continues his legacy as a philanthropic leader in education, art and science.
The Keck School is grateful for the Broads’ support of biomedical research in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, as well as their many other transformative philanthropic investments.
California’s Leadership in Stem Cell Research
 was created by the state’s voters, who passed Proposition 71 in 2004 and allocated $3 billion in funding for stem cell research. In 2020, Californians approved Proposition 14, the ballot proposition that allowed for continued funding through CIRM with an additional $5.5 billion to support stem cell research and education.
CIRM’s mission is to accelerate world-class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments in an equitable manner to a diverse California and world. It is committed to supporting translational research, education and training, and infrastructure with the goal of accelerating treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. CIRM has positioned California as a global leader in stem cell and translational research, attracting top scientists and contributing to the rapid growth of the state’s biotechnology sector.
At USC, CIRM has been a key supporter of stem cell research through investments including:
* infrastructure grants to help construct USC’s stem cell research center and shared research facilities;
* recruitment grants to attract established stem cell scientists to California;
* training grants to educate the next generation of stem cell scientists, including high school students, undergraduates, master’s students, PhD students, postdoctoral trainees, and clinical fellows; and
* research grants to develop regenerative medicine treatments for patients with diseases ranging from HIV/AIDS to age-related blindness.
Founding Supporters and Ambassadors
Founding supporters and ambassadors for Stem Cell Research at USC are leaders and visionaries who play a pivotal role in fulfilling our mission of revolutionizing regenerative medicine.
This network of diverse business entrepreneurs, financial managers, philanthropists, medical professionals and patient advocates are promoters of innovation, transformational research and discovery, and advanced personalized patient care.
* Annenberg Foundation
* Mike and Kathy Armistead
* Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation
* Paul and Marie Bloch
* Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation
* Eli and Edythe Broad
* California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
* Joyce J. Cammilleri Family
* The Chang Family
* Yong Chen and the Zhongmei Group
* The Choi Family
* Larry and Paulette Cohen
* Ann and John Doerr
* The Margaret E. Early Medical Research Trust
* Eshaghpour Family Foundation
* Christopher Essay Trust
* A. P. Giannini Foundation
* Jeffrey and Johanna Gunter
* Havner Family Foundation
* The Hearst Foundations
* Cynthia and Vincent Hung
* George and Shirley Isaacs
* W. M. Keck Foundation
* Robert N. Klein and Danielle Guttman Klein
* Edward and Edit Komberg
* The Merkin Family Foundation
* Margaret Morschl Trust
* Muscular Dystrophy Association
* New York Stem Cell Foundation
* George Scalise, Sr.
* Elisa and Michael Schenkman
* H. Russell Smith Foundation
* Audrey E. Streedain Trust
* Min Zhou/Anhui Kedgene Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
* Harry Zimmerman