Focus on Urban Health - Keck School of Medicine of USC ...

F E AT U R E•into lab benches, that can be done fairly easily.”The $80 million building − which was fundedthrough a $30 million gift from the Eli and EdytheBroad Foundation coupled with a $27 million grantawarded by the California Institute of RegenerativeMedicine (CIRM) and other monies donated throughprivate philanthropy − also dedicates interior real estatespecifically for stem cell research must-haves,including four core laboratories, as well as rooms setaside for cell culture and microscopy.While the world of scientific research is frequentlyfiercely competitive, the recently opened stem cellcenter was consciously constructed to foster collaboration.And, as Pera points out, collaboration iscrucial. “The potential of stem cell research is tremendous,but so are the challenges. We’ve broughttogether the best scientists, and the more they worktogether, the more everyone will benefit.”With synergistic benefits in mind, the building’sfloor plan is open and airy. “There’s a lot of interactionspace on every floor, and even out on balconies. Thewhole second floor is set aside for core labs and collaborativework to support researchers throughout Keck.”He adds, “It’s also available to researchers universitywidewho want to learn stem cell technologies.”WEALTH OF DISCOVERIES Leveraging those technologiesare top-notch researchers who currently number10 − a total that won’t stay static. “Over the nextcouple of years,” says Pera, “we’ll be adding anotherhalf-dozen investigators. We’re particularly lookingfor translational researchers who can work in the areasof clinical strength here at Keck.”Those strengths − which have earned USC facultymembers more than $85 million in CIRM funding− are many and already have resulted in a wealth ofweighty discoveries published in prestigious journals,including Cancer Research, Cell, Cell Stem Cell, DevelopmentalCell, Nature, Nature Biotechnology, and Proceedingsof the National Academy of Sciences. Among thearray of findings:• Gregor B. Adams, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell andneurobiology, identified a new signaling pathwaythat helps regulate the movement of bloodformingstem cells − a finding that providesimportant new insight regarding how stem cellscirculate throughout the body, insight that mayresult in more efficient bone marrow transplants.methods of developing stem cells directly frompatients. Additionally, under the auspices of theUSC Center for Molecular Pathways and DrugDiscovery, a joint venture with the USC NorrisComprehensive Cancer Center, Kahn and Heinz-Josef Lenz, M.D., professor of medicine andpreventive medicine, are looking to uncover drugsthat act on signaling pathways common to stemcells in cancer. One drug has entered clinical trials.• Wange Lu, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry andmolecular biology, identified a novel mechanismin the regulation and differentiation of neuralstem cells. These findings could have importantimplications for regenerative medicine anddisease therapies, because neural stem cellspotentially can be used for cell-replacementtherapy in patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s,spinal cord injuries and brain cancer.• Francesca Mariani, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell andneurobiology, conducted a study that forms thefoundation for future studies focusing on limbregeneration.• Martin Pera, Ph.D., professor and founding director, Eli andEdythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and StemCell Research at USC, as a member of the steeringcommittee that directs a global consortium calledthe International Stem Cell Initiative, helpedestablish the standards that define a pluripotentstem cell. Another major work focused on thegenetic stability of stem cell lines − a factor thatis paramount to their safe use. Additionally, Peraserved as co-investigator on a successful USCCIRM Disease Team application to develop anembryonic-stem-cell-based treatment for maculardegeneration.• Qi-Long Ying, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell andneurobiology, was the first person to derive authenticembryonic stem cells from rats. This breakthroughfinding will enable scientists to create far moreeffective animal models for studying a wide range ofdiagnoses, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension,addiction and autoimmune diseases. This is a majordevelopment in stem cell research because − inmany aspects of biology − rats are much more closelyrelated to humans than are mice, which until nowhave been the animal model. Using this technique,Ying additionally was successful in achievingtargeted, genetic modifications.“It has only been adozen years sincehuman embryonicstem cells werediscovered, andyet we are alreadymoving intoclinical trials.”–Martin Pera, Ph.D.Photo by Steve Cohn• Michael Kahn, Ph.D., Provost’s professor of medicineand pharmacy, isolated the mechanism of action inregulation of pluripotent stem cells (which canbecome any kind of tissue in the body) by Wntproteins. The discovery will lead to improvedThe most recent recruits to Pera’s core group ofinvestigators are Mohamed Pashmforoush, M.D.,Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, and Henry M.Sucov, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry andkeck.usc.edu KECK MEDICINE 15