Cristy Lytal
Stories by Cristy Lytal:
USC Stem Cell scientists Justin Ichida and Zhongwei Li receive NIH Director’s Award funding
The researchers will pursue high-risk, high-reward ideas for treating ALS and kidney disease.
New undergraduate program points the way to stem cell careers
USC COMPASS will launch with support from a $2.9 million grant from the voter-created California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Brainstorming new ways to beat breast cancer
USC cancer researcher Min Yu counts on a team that shares her excitement about scientific ideas.
From USC stem cell master’s alum to rural New Mexico dentist
Nelson Poliran Jr. admits that, after years of studying in L.A., practicing dentistry in the rural town of Hobbs, N.M., was a bit of a culture shock.
Stem cell research inspired Trojan’s work in reproductive endocrinology and infertility
Before entering medical school, Natasha Raj-Derouin pursued USC’s progressive master’s degree in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.
USC Stem Cell scientists use mini-kidney models to identify potential drugs for polycystic kidney disease
Researchers generated simple, kidney-like structures called organoids and used them to identify potential drugs to treat adult-onset polycystic kidney disease.
How did vertebrates first develop jaws?
In a new pair of studies, scientists reveal clues about the origin of this evolutionary innovation.
Biotechnology teacher uses USC background to prep kids for careers
As an instructor at L.A.’s Roosevelt High School, Rekha Prakash works two short miles from USC’s Health Sciences Campus, where she earned her master of science degree in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.
Alumna Clare Yarka’s passion drives her career in research
The Trojan entered industry immediately after earning her master of science degree in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine from USC and never looked back.
Building reputations as team players — in the lab and on the basketball court
USC Stem Cell alumni Litao Tao and Haoze “Vincent” Yu bring their A game to new positions in academia and industry.
New evidence on how adults’ large bone injuries repair
Key to the repair strategy examined in the USC study is a gene with a fittingly heroic name: Sonic hedgehog.
Newly born cells in the epileptic brain provide a potential target for treatment
USC researchers find that adults can replenish some of the brain cells they lose by generating new brain cells, and that this process is dramatically altered in patients with long-term epilepsy.
For USC Stem Cell faculty member Rong Lu, science is in her blood
Lu’s lab publishes paradigm-shifting research about the complex and surprising behavior of individual blood stem cells.
Arthritis-related gene also regenerates cartilage in joints and growth plates
The USC-led study has implications for the use of existing drugs that curb inflammation in autoimmune diseases: Those drugs may also interfere with growth and regeneration.
Research offers new insights into understanding head development
USC scientists’ work may provide new information on craniofacial birth defects.
How alike are the cancer cells from a single patient?
The USC study also underscored a major problem facing cancer researchers: studying non-representative samples of patient cells.
California’s stem cell agency awards USC $5 million to train scientists and clinicians
The goal is to create a diverse group of scientists with the knowledge and skill to become the next generation of stem cell leaders.
Drug-like molecule points to novel strategies for cancer therapy
Work from scientists led by USC’s Oliver Bell and a colleague could counteract the effects of mutated epigenetic regulators, which are known to drive certain types of cancer including lymphoma.
USC Stem Cell provides ‘incubator’ for medicine of the 21st century
The incubator brings together leading minds from around the world and trains the next generation of stem cell scientists through a dedicated doctoral program and first-of-its-kind master’s degree.
Aided by stem cells, a lizard regenerates a perfect tail for the first time in 250 million years
The USC-led experiment has implications for improvements in human wound-healing.
USC-led study traces the blueprints for how human kidneys form their filtering units
With these blueprints, USC Stem Cell scientists lay the foundation for building a synthetic mini kidney.
From legalizing marijuana to decriminalizing opioids, USC professor does the research to inform change
While Congress considers proposals for federal drug liberalization including legalizing marijuana and decriminalization, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula is working to inform decisions regarding possible regulations through research.
Research into skull birth defect detailed by USC-Oxford team
A new USC study explores a part of the skull known as the coronal suture and how it is affected by the birth defect craniosynostosis.
USC scientists explore the regenerative potential of the inner ear
Overcoming a newly identified natural barrier to sensory cell regeneration may be a first step in returning inner ear cells to a newbornlike state.