UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center

Scientists create organoids with specialized blood vessels Scientists made mini-lungs and intestines, called organoids, that generate their own specialized blood vessels.

With support from the NIH, UCLA researcher Dr. @mingxiagu.bsky.social & her team have created the first mini-lungs with specialized blood vessels — offering insights into how lungs develop and function, and unlocking new approaches to tackling pulmonary vascular disease. www.nih.gov/news-events/...

UCLA scientists reprogram stem cells to create renewable cancer-fighting T cells In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, UCLA scientists have shown it’s possible to reprogram a patient’s blood-forming stem cells to generate a continuous supply of functional T cells, the immune syst...

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, UCLA scientists have shown it’s possible to reprogram a patient’s own stem cells to create a continuous supply of functional T cells, the immune system’s most powerful cancer-killing agents. bit.ly/4fhvMnv

#CancerResearch #StemCellResearch

Meet Dr. D'Juan Farmer, a UCLA scientist who studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the development of the skull and face. He shares the impact he hopes to make for patients with congenital anomalies and his affinity for fantasy novels. ➡️ bit.ly/4l4GpLN

#StemCellResearch

When UCLA's Dr. Gerald Lipshutz heard parents' raw accounts of children with creatine transporter deficiency—unable to speak, suffering seizures—he was moved to action. He's now developing a one-time #GeneTherapy that could transform these families' lives. ➡️ bit.ly/44P1rrp

Experience a #DayInTheLife of center trainee Mary Doan, a UCLA PhD candidate working to uncover therapeutic targets to manipulate metabolism in both health and disease in the lab of Dr. Michael Teitell. 🍵👩🏻‍🔬🏞️

Credit: Joseph Doan

#StemCellResearch #RegenerativeMedicine

Researchers uncover key mechanism of brain repair in vascular dementia, revealing promising therapeutic target A new study from UCLA Health has uncovered how inflammation in brain blood vessels exacerbates damage in vascular dementia and demonstrated that targeting this process with a repurposed drug can promo...

UCLA researchers have uncovered a key mechanism of brain repair in vascular #dementia — the second leading cause of dementia — revealing a promising therapeutic target.

@uclahealth.org #Neuroscience

stemcell.ucla.edu/news/researc...

NIH budget cuts threaten the future of biomedical research — and the young scientists behind it NIH budget cuts are threatening key medical research programs, shrinking training grants, and leaving young researchers facing career uncertainty.

A new @latimes.com piece highlights the sweeping impact of the proposed $18 billion NIH budget cut. Center member Dr. Antoni Ribas weighs in with a stark warning: "The cuts in academia will lead to less positions being offered." www.latimes.com/science/stor...

Member Spotlight: Chen Kam tracks blood vessels as they develop, heal and age Dr. Chen Yuan Kam is a developmental and vascular biologist using cutting-edge imaging tools to study the lifelines of our bodies: blood vessels. From development through injury and repair, Kam tracks...

Meet Dr. Chen Yuan Kam @chenyuankam.bsky.social, a developmental and vascular biologist who's studying the lifelines of our bodies: blood vessels. He talks about establishing his research lab at UCLA, his childhood aspirations to be an inventor and his love for the NBA. ➡️ bit.ly/4lIcCJl

#NewPI

The latest podcast has dropped. Check out Ngan Huang and Soochi Kim talking about their latest publication in stem cell reports, tinyurl.com/yvm35ec7. Listen here tinyurl.com/2njkbp7k or wherever you get your podcasts.

@isscr.org @uclastemcell.bsky.social

Harvesting a dream: tenant farmers’ son is on a mission to develop life-changing stem cell therapies Cristian Rodriguez never imagined he'd find himself working with stem cells in a UCLA research lab, let alone receiving Cal State Northridge's most prestigious award given to a graduating senior.Just ...

Meet Cristian Rodriguez, a CSUN-UCLA Bridges trainee who is working on stem cell-based approaches to restore sensation to people with spinal cord injuries. ➡️ bit.ly/4nxpdB3

#FirstGenCollege #RegenerativeMedicine #ScienceForGood

UCLA-led team receives $3.5 million NIH grant to develop treatment for mpox: What to know about the viral illness Researchers from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have received a $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study and develop ...

UCLA-led team has received a $3.5 million grant from the NIH to study and develop treatments for the infectious disease #mpox. Their discoveries could help prevent the next global outbreak. ➡️ bit.ly/3TW38hI

Harvesting a dream: tenant farmers’ son is on a mission to develop life-changing stem cell therapies Cristian Rodriguez never imagined he'd find himself working with stem cells in a UCLA research lab, let alone receiving Cal State Northridge's most prestigious award given to a graduating senior.Just ...

So proud of Cris Rodriguez, who is featured in this story from the @uclastemcell.bsky.social, and his work in my lab. Cris was this year's @gomatadors.bsky.social CSUN Wolfson Scholar, and is an exceptional person and scientist. stemcell.ucla.edu/news/harvest...

Scientists create first mini-lungs with built-in blood vessels UCLA researchers have successfully grown miniature lungs from stem cells — complete with their own functioning blood vessel networks.The groundbreaking work, detailed in Cell, marks the first time sci...

Scientists have created the first 3D mini-lungs complete with their own functioning blood vessel networks, unlocking new insights for pulmonary vascular disease. ➡️ bit.ly/4kmCrxB

#Organoids #LungOrganoids #StemCellResearch

Hallmarks of stem cell aging Aging disrupts core functions of somatic stem cells throughout the body, leading to impaired tissue maintenance and repair. We identify five key features of aged stem cells, highlighting how their dys...

Happy to share our review at Cell Stem Cell as part of their Hallmarks series. As always, a pleasure to work with friends and colleagues Anne Brunet (@brunetlab.bsky.social) and Peggy Goodell(@goodell-lab.bsky.social).

Hallmarks of stem cell aging: Cell Stem Cell www.cell.com/cell-stem-ce...

For Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month, we highlight the work of Dr. Jessica Rexach, a UCLA neurologist and neurogeneticist working to uncover the molecular drivers of Alzheimer’s disease. Learn more about her work: stemcell.ucla.edu/member-direc...

#StemCellResearch #Neuroscience #BrainHealth

New approach enables body to engineer its own cells to fight cancer or autoimmunity Injections of mRNA may offer a simpler, cheaper way to build powerful CAR-T cells

A new method enables a patient's body to produce its own CAR-T cells, which could drastically shorten wait times for patients receiving CAR-T cell therapy. UCLA’s Dr. Yvonne Chen weighs in on this groundbreaking advancement in @science.org.

www.science.org/content/arti...

Experience a day in the life as center trainee Christopher Ochoa, a UCLA PhD candidate developing novel #immunotherapies to target aggressive gynecologic cancers in the lab of Dr. Sanaz Memarzadeh. 🏋🏽👨🏽‍🔬🧫

#OvarianCancer #EndometrialCancer #StemCellResearch

In the news: Dr. Thomas Rando @randolab.bsky.social spoke to National Geographic about how studying axolotl limb regeneration could help us unlock the hidden regenerative capacities in human biology.➡️ archive.ph/JMNn3

Last week, center member Michael Jung gave UCLA's 130th Faculty Research Lecture, titled “Drug Discovery in Academia: Some Success Stories.” He shared how a midlife career shift to studying medicinal chemistry led to the development of two groundbreaking drugs for prostate cancer.

🔬✨ "What does a scientist actually do?" "How is college different from high school?" Our amazing trainees brought the answers straight to LA high schoolers through interactive presentations as part of the center's Outreach Program. #STEMEducation #ScienceOutreach

BSCRC member and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Michael E. Jung is giving a lecture titled, “Drug Discovery in Academia: Some Success Stories," for UCLA's 130th Faculty Research Lecture.
Interested in attending? RSVP here: bit.ly/453vrSi

Join us for a lunch and learn on 6/5 at noon in BSRB 154 to discover the latest in automated iPSC manufacturing technology! Lunch provided; RSVP today: lu.ma/f0etrg1e

Celebrated 20 years of core resources with tacos, poster presentations and fun prizes! 🔬🧫🧬 Together, research cores @uclastemcell.bsky.social serve over 700 users from more than 200 labs across 40 UCLA departments. Learn more: bit.ly/4kGND9r

We had a full house for Dr. Cédric Blanpain’s BSCRC-JCCC Research Seminar, “Stem Cell Plasticity During Tumor Initiation and Progression.”

Huge thanks to Dr. Blanpain for an inspiring talk — and to everyone who joined us for this exciting event!

@cedric-blanpain.bsky.social

By understanding how nutrients control this glue, scientists can improve stem cell therapies and treatments for diseases like cancer and diabetes, in which the glue isn’t intact.

#UCLAStemCell #RegenerativeMedicine #StemCellResearch #ElevatorPitch

YouTube video by UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center Studying Cellular “Glue" to Improve Stem Cell Therapies | Zeenat Rashida, Ph.D.

Science elevator pitch: Zeenat Rashida, a postdoctoral student in the lab of Dr. Kathrin Plath at UCLA, studies how nutrients like vitamin C regulate the extracellular matrix, the glue that holds cells together, to support stem cell function.

youtu.be/qT9d4-c-TCs

Congratulations to Eva Segura, an alumna of the BSCRC Training Program working in the lab of Dr. Donald B. Kohn, for taking first place in the Regenerative Medicine category at the #LABEST2025 Pearl Cohen Scientific Poster Competition! 🏆

#GeneTherapy #StemCellResearch

Don’t miss Dr. Cédric Blanpain of the Université Libre de Bruxelles as he presents, “Mechanisms Regulating Stem Cell Plasticity During Tumor Initiation,” on Friday, May 30 at 1pm in Boyer 159.

The #ResearchSeminar is open to all UCLA faculty, students and staff.

Common antidepressants could help the immune system fight cancer, UCLA study finds A widely used antidepressant drug could help the immune system fight cancer, according to a new UCLA research study.Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, significantly enhanced the abilit...

A UCLA study suggests that common antidepressants could enhance the immune system’s ability to fight #cancer and suppress tumor growth. Repurposing these existing FDA-approved drugs could speed up the process of bringing new cancer treatments to patients. stemcell.ucla.edu/news/common-...

UCLA’s Translational Cell Therapy Lab partners with stem cell researchers to build life-changing therapies — all while mentoring the next generation scientists who’ll carry this critical work forward.
🧬 Read more: ucla.in/45kYAbz
#CellTherapy #RegenerativeMedicine