Research Archives - Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine

NIH-Funded Team Led by Berndt Lab Aims to Supercharge Protein Sensor Engineering

April 2, 2026 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: Berndt, brain, NIH, protein sensors

An $11 million multi-institutional grant from the NIH BRAIN Initiative will enable Berndt Lab engineer new red calcium and neuromodulator sensors, giving scientists much more powerful tools to study brain function and neurological disease. Read More

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Stevens Lab Reconstructs Human Liver Tissue Cell Architecture in 3D

March 6, 2026 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: Liver, Stevens, tissue engineering

ISCRM faculty member Kelly Stevens is the senior author of a study, published in Science Advances, that unveils 3D reconstructions of human liver tissue offering unprecedented detail at the cellular level. Read More

A fluorescent microscopic image of a spherical cell cluster showing bright red, green, yellow, and blue regions, highlighting various cellular structures on a black background.

ISCRM Researchers Use AI-Designed Protein to Produce More Mineralized Enamel

March 2, 2026 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: Baker, designed proteins, enamel, Freedman, Gross, Mathieu, regenerative dentistry, Ruohola-Baker

ISCRM researchers have shown that an AI-designed signaling protein (known as a ligand) can be used to mature ameloblasts capable of secreting more mineralized enamel, representing another important step forward for regenerative dentistry. Read More

Fluorescent microscopy image showing clusters of cells with blue nuclei, magenta cytoplasm, and green structures. The colors highlight different cell components in a tissue sample, likely used for biological or medical research.

Harnessing Early Progenitors to Grow Healthy Kidney Tissue Inside the Body

February 18, 2026 | Categories: Research | Tagged: Freedman, Kidney Disease

The Freedman Lab used a single pool of stem cells to generate multiple cell types crucial for kidney function and showed it may be more effective to kickstart this process in vivo instead of engineering tissue outside the body for transplantation. Read More

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Scientific Exchange Fosters Cross-Institute Collaboration

February 3, 2026 | Categories: Research | Tagged: Davis, MoIES, Pun

In late January, nearly 60 researchers from ISCRM and the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute gathered to foster collaborations aimed at accelerating disease research through improved modeling technologies. Read More

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Pairing Biomaterials and Designed Protein Technologies Offers Scientists Increased Control of Intracellular Processes

December 12, 2025 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: Baker, biomaterials, DeForest, IPD, protein design

The use of computational protein engineering technology to engineer transient, membrane-less organelles inside living cells is the subject of a new study led by the DeForest Research Group in collaboration with the Baker Lab. Read More

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Helper or Culprit: Re-Examining the Role of Fibroblasts in Dilated Cardiomyopathy

September 11, 2025 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research, Uncategorized | Tagged: Davis, DeForest, fibroblasts, heart disease, Moussavi-Harami, Regnier, Sniadecki

In a paper published in Science, a multidisciplinary ISCRM research team of biologists, engineers, and physicians shows that fibroblasts, often thought of as helpers, may weaken the heart by causing a harmful cycle of stiffening and scarring. Read More

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Category: Research