UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center

UCLA scientists led by Dr. Claudio Villanueva Ph.D. have found a way to make fat cells skinny. The discovery could lead to new therapies for Type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases that work by helping fat stem cells differentiate and make new, smaller fat cells.

A $14.7 million grant from California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will help Dr. Donald B. Kohn and team advance a gene therapy for ADA-SCID toward FDA approval, making this life-saving therapy that has successfully treated 48 of 50 children in clinical trials, available to kids everywhere. "We hope this sets a new paradigm for how gene therapies for rare diseases can reach the patients who need them most,” Kohn said.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, December 5 as Dr. Xin Sun of UC San Diego presents, “Setting the Progenitor and Progeny Balance: the Role of the Mitochondria” at 12pm in CHS 23-105. The?#ResearchSeminar?is open to all UCLA faculty, students and staff – see you there! ??

#HiringAlert ?? UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center is recruiting SEVERAL new faculty working in stem cell research and regenerative medicine! Apply now to join UCLA's highly collaborative multi-disciplinary research environment: https://lnkd.in/gCixiJUq Deadline to apply: December 1, 2024

Mark your calendars for two upcoming research seminars led by Xin Sun of UC San Diego and S. Thomas Carmichael of UCLA. These seminars are open to all UCLA faculty, students and staff — see you there! #StemCellResearch

Today is the LAST DAY to participate in our annual #microscopy image & video contest! ?? Submissions will be judged on structure, color, composition, informational content, visual impact & microscopic technique. Learn more: https://ucla.in/47xG27d

New in Cell Reports: UCLA researchers have identified an unexpected function of the protein netrin1 in spinal cord development. Known for guiding nerve fibers, netrin1 also regulates BMP signaling — a critical process that ensures sensory neurons develop in specific regions of the spinal cord. Led by Dr. Samantha Butler, this research could inform future therapeutic strategies for spinal cord repair. ?? https://ucla.in/3O76bkb ??: Cells (blue) at the ventral midline of the spinal cord, expressing netrin1 (red) and a fluorescent tracer (GFP, green). | Credit: Samantha Butler Lab/UCLA?

Our center welcomed close to 100 high school students for lab tours, hands-on science activities and an interactive panel discussion?to celebrate Stem Cell Awareness Day. These visits marked an expansion of the center's Outreach Program, which is committed to hosting activities that promote a curiosity in science and show that a career in STEM is possible for students of all backgrounds. #NationalSTEMDay ?? https://lnkd.in/gmB_htpQ

Hanna Mikkola, MD, PhD, and?Julia Aguade Gorgorio, PhD,?of the?UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center found that the gene MYCT1 plays a crucial role in blood stem cell self-renewal. With CIRM support, this research brings us closer to making blood stem cell transplants more accessible by enabling cells to maintain their self-renewing power in the lab. This advance can potentially make treatments for blood cancers and gene therapies safer and more effective.

One week left to participate in our annual #microscopy image & video contest! We're recognizing & celebrating the very best in scientific imaging UCLA. ?? Submissions will be judged on structure, color, composition, informational content, visual impact & microscopic technique. Learn more: https://ucla.in/47xG27d