Ostrow jumps to third top-funded U.S. dental institution by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. IF THE PAST FEW YEARS OF PANDEMIC were meant to slow researchers down in their quest for knowledge, no one told the research teams working in Ostrow’s lab spaces across both campuses. The Herman Ostrow School of […]
Zhaoyang Liu Assistant Professor LAST YEAR, Ostrow welcomed researcher Zhaoyang Liu to the Trojan Dental Family. The tenure-track assistant professor earned her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences in China before pursuing a master’s degree in cellular, molecular and structural biology from Miami University-Ohio and a doctorate in biology from the University of Rochester-New York. […]
USC researcher Dechen Lin has created miniature organs — with the hope of fighting a rare type of cancer. CANCERS THAT IMPACT THE JUNCTION of the esophagus and the stomach are rare — but debilitating. They get less attention than breast, prostate or lung cancers — and 85 percent of patients diagnosed with gastroesophageal junction […]
USC researchers look inside teeth to figure out how we might regenerate teeth in the future. TEETH ARE MARVELOUSLY COMPLICATED structures — and the way they develop is also complex. The majority of tooth tissue (except the enamel) comes from cranial neural crest cells — stem cells that eventually develop into craniofacial bones and cartilage. […]
Through the DIA JumpStart program, non-USC undergraduates interested in pursuing a PhD spend the summer in USC research labs. BY DANIEL P. SMITH The moment Angelita Araujo-Villalba heard about the USC Diversity, Inclusion, Access (DIA) JumpStart program at USC, she knew she had to apply. Then a sophomore at Cal Poly Pomona studying molecular and […]
The researcher was recently promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Dentistry with tenure. TO SOME, IT MIGHT SEEM UNUSUAL that Jian Xu, whose PhD research focused on cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, would find her academic home at the Center for Craniofacial Biology, part of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. […]
A FEW WEEKS AGO, Assistant Professor Dechen Lin joined the Trojan Dental Family as a researcher for Ostrow’s Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, coming to us from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Here are five more things to know about our newest scientific investigator: 1. Lin completed his bachelor’s degree in biology before beginning his PhD […]
The data repository allows craniofacial scientists to share data, which could ultimately lead to improved care for patients with craniofacial developmental disorders. RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PAST DECADE have allowed scientists to generate more data than ever before. At the same time, increased calls for transparency, reproducibility and data sharing in the scientific community […]
Jian Xu hopes to better understand the mechanisms behind environmental toxins increasing the occurrence of birth defects in order to develop new treatments or even prevent craniofacial birth defects. NEARLY 120,000 BABIES WILL BE BORN with birth defects this year. While there are a number of causes — genetics and chromosomal issues, infections during pregnancy, […]
Ostrow researchers awarded five-year grant to investigate how a popular antidepressant interacts with pregnant women’s genes to cause craniofacial birth defects NEARLY 25 PERCENT OF PREGNANT WOMEN TAKE CITALOPRAM — a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that works by boosting levels of the “feel good” hormone serotonin. While the antidepressant might have positive effects on […]
