Side-by-side images of PKD mini-kidneys: the untreated one (left) appears smoother, while the one given readthrough drug (right) looks more structured or textured. Each is about 1mm wide.

Freedman Lab Discovers Promising New Therapeutic for PKD in Tailor-Made Organoids

April 4, 2024 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: , , ,

In a new study published in Cell Stem Cell, the Freedman Lab shows that a drug known to be safe in humans inhibits the growth of cysts in gene-edited organoids with polycystic kidney disease. Read More

Two scientists in lab coats and gloves sit in a laboratory with scientific equipment, a microscope, and computers displaying data on screens. Shelves with lab supplies and boxes are visible in the background.

Berndt Lab Machine Learning Model Sets a New Pace in Protein Sensor Design

March 26, 2024 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: , ,

Over the course of a multiyear, collaborative investigation, researchers in the Berndt Lab showed that their trained machine learning models correctly predicted several variants of the calcium indicator GCaMP with record-setting speed and accuracy, outperforming all previous generations of these sensors. Read More

Diagram showing a coil-flanked XTEN protein with stabilizing mutations, forming an injectable protein gel that exhibits self-healing, shear-thinning, and supports high cell viability, with a close-up of green cells.

Protein-Based Biomaterial Protects Injected Cells, Improves Engraftment

March 13, 2024 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: , , , ,

Research led by Cole DeForest, PhD in collaboration with Chuck Murry, MD, PhD and Kelly Stevens, PhD details a new protein-based biomaterial that could help improve engraftment and function following injectable cell therapies. Read More

Gloved hands holding and assembling scientific equipment with transparent chambers and labeled cassette, likely used for laboratory experiments or cell culture work.

$7.3 Million NIH Grant Funds Effort to Advance Kidney Microphysiological Testing Platforms

February 12, 2024 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: , , , , ,

NIH Funding will allow ISCRM faculty members Ed Kelly and Beno Freedman to lead the effort to advance kidney-on-a-chip and organoid testing technology and submit a 3D engineered platform for FDA approval. Read More

Microscopic image showing clusters of oval and round yeast cells, highlighted with yellow fluorescence, on a dark background.

Kueh Lab Studies How and When Immune Cells Form Pathogen Memories

February 1, 2024 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: ,

Research from the Kueh Lab shows infection-fighting blood cells can change course to become long-lived memory cells instead of short-lived killer cells. Read More

Four panels show the same two T cells labeled with different markers: Erk (cyan), NFAT (red), H2B (magenta), and a grayscale brightfield image. Each cell outline is highlighted with a white dotted line.

Study from Kueh Lab Describes Surprising Agility in T Cell Threat Assessment

January 11, 2024 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: , ,

New research from the Kueh Lab, published in the journal PNAS, reveals surprising insights about the signaling circuitry that allows T cells to elicit tailored responses to a diverse range of threats and proposes a model for future study. Read More

Side-by-side portraits of two women; the left woman has short gray hair, glasses, and a white lab coat, while the right woman has long brown hair and is wearing a teal top, smiling at the camera.

Finding a Sweet Spot for Cultivating Embryonic Cell Lines

January 2, 2024 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: , ,

Research from Julie Mathieu and Carol Ware adds to understanding of human early development and the clinical utility of late naïve hESC derived directly from blastocysts. Read More

A woman with long, straight dark hair is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a navy blue blazer over a white top and is posed in front of a plain gray background.

Welcome Yusha “Katie” Liu

| Categories: Core Faculty, Research | Tagged: , , ,

Dr. Yusha “Katie” Liu joined ISCRM in 2023 as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery Read More

Diagram illustrating 3D brain microvessels under different conditions: resting, after 8 hours with TNF, and after 8 and 24 hours with parasites, showing changes like microparticles, gaps, filaments, and ghost cells.

Zheng Lab Unveils Platform for Modeling Cerebral Malaria in 3D

November 20, 2023 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , ,

A new paper from the Zheng Lab, published in Cell Reports, unveils a technique for probing cerebral malaria inflammation in 3D engineered human brain microvessels. Read More

Fluorescent microscopy image of a tissue section showing a triangular structure with layers of blue, green, yellow, and magenta cells. Blue dots, likely cell nuclei, are scattered throughout. A scale bar indicates 50 micrometers.

Stem Cell-derived Organoids Secrete Tooth Enamel Proteins

August 14, 2023 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , ,

Researchers led by Hannele Ruohola-Baker have created organoids from stem cells that secrete the proteins that form the enamel that protects our teeth from damage and decay. Read More