What makes stem cells develop into kidneys? Lori O’Brien, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in the laboratory of Andy McMahon, PhD, FRS, has received the first Broad Fellowship to help answer this question.

O’Brien is the first of a series of Broad Fellows, exceptional senior postdoctoral researchers at the transition point to starting their own stem cell laboratories. The fellowship was established as part of a $2 million gift from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation to the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. The gift also supports core research facilities and innovative projects.

“One component of this money is to provide senior postdoctoral fellows with a year’s worth of funding and their own lab support,” said McMahon, director of USC’s stem cell research center. “This enables our most promising young scientists to become the next generation of innovators in regenerative medicine.”

The unanimous choice of the external review committee, O’Brien’s project explores how key genes are “turned on” or “turned off” through a process called epigenetic regulation. Turning off specific genes in kidney stem cells prompts them to self-renew, or divide and give rise to more stem cells. These stem cells self-renew until they receive the signals to undergo specialization or differentiation into nephron cells, which form the functional unit of the kidneys.

O’Brien is focusing on an epigenetic regulator called Phf19, which encourages embryonic stem cells to self-renew, and may have a similar effect on kidney stem cells.

O’Brien has always possessed a curious, scientific mind. Born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, she witnessed her first “dissection” when her dad, who liked to fish, would clean and filet his catch in the yard. She was fascinated by fish anatomy and all aspects of the natural world.

She parlayed her inquisitive mind into earning a bachelor’s degree in bacteriology and a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a postdoctoral researcher, she has studied kidney development at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University and USC.

“I’m honored to have been chosen, and thank The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation for their generous contribution to establish the award,” said O’Brien. “This fellowship will help establish my career as an independent scientist dedicated to understanding kidney stem cells, so that we can utilize this knowledge to develop regenerative therapies for patients.”

— By Cristy Lytal

USC’s Jon-Paul Pepper, MD, is not the average award winner. He’s also not the average facial plastic surgeon, faculty researcher or master’s student — in part, because he’s currently all of these things.

At a ceremony held in Orlando, Fla., in September, Pepper received the first Research Scholar Award from the Educational and Research Foundation for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS). The award provides two years of funding for his study on reprogramming skin-derived stem cells into nerve grafts for the treatment of facial paralysis. He’s tackling this project in collaboration with cell reprogramming expert Justin Ichida, PhD, assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at USC.

Pepper — who joined USC’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery as an assistant professor in Fall 2013 — specializes in the reconstructive surgery of the face. He believes that stem cells are the future of facial nerve reanimation, and is enrolled in USC’s new master of science in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine program.
“It was plain to me after a few of Dr. Ichida’s lab meetings that I had to formalize my background in stem cell biology to be able to be a more effective researcher,” he said. “Getting a master’s in stem cell biology is a very unique opportunity.”

Naturally, Pepper already has a few degrees under his belt, including a bachelor’s in neuroscience from Brown University and an MD from the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. He completed both his residency and fellowship at the University of Michigan, and received the top board score in the nation on the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery examination in 2013. He previously conducted clinical research as a complement to his practice, and has several active research grants. But it wasn’t until Pepper was recruited to USC that he began delving into stem cell research in pursuit of new treatments for facial paralysis.

“As I got established here, I realized how big the stem cell enterprise was,” he said. “And I saw that it was such a powerful technology that I reached out to Justin Ichida, and we started up this pilot research project.”

Pepper is also collaborating with USC Stem Cell principal investigator Mark Humayun, MD, PhD, on a clinical trial that explores electrical stimulation of facial nerves as a treatment for Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes sudden and unexplained facial paralysis.

“I do have an interest in not only developing my clinical practice but also performing impactful research,” said Pepper. “So I was ecstatic to be recruited to USC.”

— Cristy Lytal

Titled “De Novo,” this sculpture was created as part of an ongoing collaboration between USC Stem Cell and the USC Roski School of Art and Design. Doctor of Pharmacy candidate Loranna Grigoryan and undergraduate biological sciences major Jonathan Lee fashioned a series of human ears attached to a two-and-a-half foot structure evoking DNA’s double helix. The work of art references the research of USC Stem Cell scientist Neil Segil, PhD, who studies the embryonic development of the inner ear and develops future treatments for deaf people. It was produced for an Advanced Ceramics (FACE 312) course taught by USC Roski Head of Ceramics Karen Koblitz. After the sculpture appeared in the Fall 2014 Ceramics Area show in the Helen Lindhurst Fine Arts Gallery in USC Roski’s Watt Hall, the students donated it to Segil and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. “I really love the sculpture,” said Segil. “It’s not often that someone takes time to try and understand the arcane nature of a biologist’s work and turn it into art. I think they did a great job, and thank this art and science collaboration for giving the students an opportunity to interact with people in a working laboratory.”

A memorial service has been planned for Yoshimasa “Yoshi” Makino, MD, an assistant professor of clinical medicine with the Keck School of Medicine of USC, who died Dec. 12 on the USC Health Sciences Campus. He was 38.

The service and celebration of his life will be held on Jan. 7, 2015, at 4 p.m. in Mayer Auditorium. All are invited to attend, and a reception will immediately follow.

Makino, a GI medicine specialist, had worked as a faculty physician at USC since 2010 and cared for patients at LAC+USC Medical Center as well as in the Internal Medicine practice and at the USC Norris Cancer Hospital GI Laboratory.

“Yoshi was a beloved member of our medical school faculty. We mourn this tragic loss and send deepest sympathies to his family and friends,” said Carmen Puliafito, MD, dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Andrew Stolz, MD, associate professor of medicine, said that Makino was an energetic and enthusiastic colleague with a keen interest in technology. He had become a “go-to guy” on technology issues in his department, serving as an on-site troubleshooter for the equipment used in endoscopic procedures.

“He was enthusiastic about clinical applications of technology and could often be found comparing notes about technology with colleagues,” said Stolz.

Neil Kaplowitz, MD, chief of the division of gastrointestinal and liver diseases and Thomas Brem/USC Associates professor of medicine, said, “Yoshi was brilliant — extremely involved in technology, systems and data analysis.”

He was known by his colleagues as a wonderful clinician, a great teacher and an avid Trojan football fan. He wore the USC colors proudly, Stolz recalled, and often could be seen wearing a USC scarf or tie.

“Yoshi was the truest cardinal and gold Trojan fan who ever existed,” said Stolz. “He seemed to know statistics about every USC football team and player, and he managed to get himself photographed with every recent coach.”

Kaplowitz also will remember Makino’s devotion to USC athletics: “He was the biggest Trojan football fan on the faculty.”

Makino was enthusiastic and personable. “He was a great teacher of med students, residents and fellows, and a superb doctor who was adored by his patients,” said Kaplowitz.

Makino had recently accepted a job at Ridgecrest Regional Hospital in Ridgecrest, CA. But he had planned to stay connected to USC by teaching a course in the executive master’s program of Healthcare Administration at the USC Price School of Policy, Planning and Development.

Makino was born May 14, 1976, in Nagoya, Japan. He immigrated to Blacksburg, VA, in 1979, when his father pursued a master’s in architecture degree at Virginia Tech. The family lived in Colorado before moving to California, settling in the San Gabriel Valley. He graduated from Arcadia High School in 1994, where he was a National Merit Scholar. He played clarinet for the Arcadia High School Marching Band and marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade.

He enrolled at USC as a biology major, but with only four more courses left to finish the major, he switched to public policy and management instead. Makino was drawn to the program because it is one of the few undergraduate programs in the nation specifically devoted to public policy and health policy. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1998 and was a magna cum laude graduate.

In 2002, he graduated from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and served his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship with Keck Medicine of USC thereafter. He worked as a physician for IASIS Healthcare for two years before returning to Keck Medicine of USC as an assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases in 2010.

Makino was a member of the American Gastroenterological Association and was recognized for excellence in resident teaching by the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society in 2004.

His research activities were focused on biomedical informatics and he had received two research grants from the National Library of Medicine related to web-based applications in the health-care field.

His other interests included photography, graphic design and web application development.

Makino is survived by his wife, Akiko, and 13-month-old son, Brent.

Fatih Uckun, MD, Jianjun Cheng, PhD, and their colleagues have taken the first steps towards developing a so-called “smart bomb” to attack the most common and deadly form of childhood cancer — called B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

In a November study in the new peer-reviewed, open-access journal EBioMedicine, the researchers described how this approach could eventually prove lifesaving for children who have relapsed after initial chemotherapy and face a less than 20 percent chance of long-term survival.

“We knew that we could kill chemotherapy-resistant leukemia cells if we only knew what made them so resistant,” said Uckun, professor of research pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and head of translational research in leukemia lymphoma at the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

The target of the “smart bomb” is a defective gene that results in the production of an abnormal form of the protein CD22, which causes cancer stem cells to proliferate and resist chemotherapy.

Uckun’s team designed synthetic pieces of genetic material, called RNAi, with the capability to shut down this defective gene. Then Uckun joined forces with Cheng, associate professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an affiliate with the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer. Cheng’s team engineered a small subunit of protein, called a polypeptide, to function as delivery system to send the RNAi to its target.

The resulting “smart bomb” has a diameter of only 100 nanometers, making it one of the new generation of nanomedicines that can target disease at a molecular level.

“The goal is to translate our recent research discoveries in nanotechnology and biotherapy into effective patient-tailored treatment programs for the most common form of childhood cancer,” said Uckun, a principal investigator with the university-wide USC Stem Cell initiative, bringing together more than 100 faculty members from all disciplines.

Uckun and his team were supported by funding from USC Stem Cell’s Regenerative Medicine Initiative (RMI), a university-wide program kick-started by $1.2 million in funding from Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, MD, MBA. The award facilitates collaborative interactions among the USC-based regenerative medicine community.

— By Cristy Lytal

Several hundred faculty, staff and students from the USC Health Sciences Campus attended a holiday breakfast Dec. 19 on the Harry and Celesta Pappas Quad. They were welcomed by Carmen A. Puliafito, dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC,  and R. Pete Vanderveen, dean of the USC School of Pharmacy, who extended holiday greetings and then mingled with attendees as they enjoyed breakfast fare such as waffles, eggs and coffee. The annual event began at 8 a.m. on a sunny Friday morning just a few days before Christmas.

Russell Smith, a former chairman of the board of directors at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and a benefactor to Keck Medicine of USC, died recently at the age of 100.

Smith and his wife, Jeanne, became involved with CHLA in the late 1970s when the hospital was going through difficult financial times. Smith took the reigns as chairman of the hospital’s board of directors in 1980 and served in that position until 1988.

His leadership was one of the keys that set CHLA on a path to success. When the hospital opened its first research building in 1989, it was named The H. Russell and Jeanne R. Smith Research Tower.

Smith’s support carried on in later years. In 2007 he donated $2.5 million to Keck Medical Center to establish a chair for the director of the USC CardioVascular Thoracic Institute (CVTI) to provide support for research relating to innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Vaughn A. Starnes, MD, chairman of the Department of Surgery and director of CVTI, is the holder of the H. Russell Smith Foundation chair for cardiovascular Thoracic Research.

Smith, who graduated from Pomona College and was a Navy veteran, joined Avery Dennison Corp. after World War II and served as its president from 1956 to 1975.

He supported many philanthropic organizations and institutions in Southern California, including Pomona College, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and television station KCET.

Smith’s wife of almost 67 years, Jeanne, died in 2009. He is survived by their sons, Stewart and Douglas, daughter, Ellen Scott, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Cheng-Ming Chuong has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keck School of Medicine of USC scientist Cheng-Ming Chuong has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Chuong, professor of pathology at the Keck School of Medicine, is the only USC faculty member to be elected this year.

The award, given to AAAS members by their peers, was formally announced in the association’s News & Notes section of the journal Science on Nov. 28.

Chuong’s research focuses on morphogenesis — how cells are assembled into functional forms. Some of his recent research studied the cellular and molecular basis of complex pigment patterns in bird feathers to understand how stem cells become organized into particular tissue patterns and shapes.

Over the years, 94 USC faculty researchers have been named AAAS fellows. This year, 401 members were awarded this honor because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin (representing science and engineering, respectively) on Feb. 14 at the AAAS Fellows Forum in San Jose.

The tradition of AAAS fellows began in 1874. Members can be considered for the rank if nominated by the steering groups of the association’s 24 sections or by any three fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee’s institution) or by the AAAS chief executive officer.

Fellows must have been continuous AAAS members for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they are elected.

Each steering group reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list.

The council is the policymaking body of the association, chaired by the AAAS president and consisting of the members of the board of directors, the retiring section chairs, delegates from each electorate and each regional division, as well as two delegates from the National Association of the Academies of Science.

— Leslie Ridgeway

It starts with selected hospital scrubs that are impermeable to fluids and cover the torso, arms and legs.

Next come booties for the feet and ankles that extend to mid-calf. A fluid-resistant gown follows. Then a battery-powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) is deployed, attached to a hood with a full face shield and a protective cowl to cover the neck and shoulders. The process concludes with medical gloves – two pair, in fact. When finished, no skin is left exposed.

Donning the equipment takes a good 15 minutes; getting out later may take 30 minutes more.

At Keck Medical Center at USC, 87 health-care professionals recently volunteered to learn this dressing ritual. They were learning to protect themselves in the event an Ebola case was identified.

When an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa began making headlines last September, personnel at Keck Medical Center sprang to action. Within a few weeks, Stephanie Hall, MD, and a team of physicians and nurses led by Emergency Management Officer Robert “Bob” Vance III and Infection Prevention & Control Manager Lionel Caceres, RN, and his infection prevention team had instituted a training program to ensure that medical personnel would be knowledgeable about working with the disease and fully prepared to take action should someone arrive in need of treatment.

The mission is to “detect, protect and respond,” Caceres says about the medical center’s role in dealing with the Ebola crisis. Any person identified at a Keck Medicine facility would be transferred in coordination with Los Angeles Public Health as soon as possible to one of the treatment centers designated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Three single-patient training rooms with a closed door and a private bathroom rooms were created at Keck Hospital of USC. Then volunteer physicians and nurses began two-day training sessions, starting soon after the CDC issued new wrinkles in recommended procedures in mid-October. Ebola-related screening questions were added to the patient triage process a few weeks later.

The use of the special gear, known as personal protective equipment (PPE), is necessary when dealing with Ebola, which is spread through direct contact with body fluids of a person who is sick with the disease. But it can be difficult for trainees to abide by the painstaking process of donning and doffing the gear. Not everyone completes the training successfully.

“It’s difficult,” Caceres says. “Human behavior is such that you want to hurry up and help the patient, but this is not that kind of situation. You need to protect yourself first.”

Getting into the PPE is a two-person process, and the training partners must stay together throughout. It’s difficult to hear inside the PPE, so hand signals are necessary inside a treatment room to ensure effective communication. Strict guidelines must be followed, particularly when disrobing afterward, which includes disinfection and hand-washing at each level.

In an actual treatment scenario, a patient floor at Keck Hospital would be isolated and converted for treatment within 8-12 hours. The two-person teams of health-care workers would treat a patient in shifts that would last no longer than two hours at a time. And they would be responsible for ensuring that anything that goes into the patient’s room gets disposed of as a biohazard afterward.

“So, no cellphones, no rings or watches. Don’t wear your favorite pair of Nikes — they will be disposed of too,” Vance says. “You cannot cut corners with this disease.”

Protecting the body is just one aspect of the training regimen. Health-care workers must train their minds as well.

“Training includes an isolation aspect,” Vance says. “This process allows our staff to reduce the level of fear that might occur during treatment.”

The experience has been valuable for staff members who may have to contend with outbreaks of another deadly disease in the future. And the Ebola effort is not complete. The training rooms are permanent, and follow-up sessions are taking place, as are surprise drills to validate the procedures.

The Ebola response at Keck Medical Center of USC has been extensive, involving numerous hours of research, documentation and training, construction of appropriate facilities and purchase of new equipment.

“It’s a large expense. This is not cheap,” Vance says. “But the medical center is making an investment in its employees and wants them to be safe.”

— Les Dunseith

Some artists are inspired to draw or paint by bucolic scenery, but Ben Ferrer, RN, said he believes that being a nurse is what brought out his inner artist.

“There are different ways of drawing a portrait and one is to capture their essence,” said Ferrer, a nurse in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit (ICU) at Keck Hospital of USC. “I think years of nursing helped me see people for who they are.”

Ferrer started drawing about two-and-a-half years ago during a quiet night in the ICU. While chatting with a colleague, he drew her portrait even though he hadn’t drawn since he was a child. Colleagues praised his quick pencil sketch, both for the likeness and for capturing her cheerful nature.

Since that time, portraiture has become something of a second job for Ferrer. He has drawn portraits of nearly all of the staff of the cardiothoracic ICU, as well as dozens of patients who have passed through his care in the last couple of years.

When drawing his patients, Ferrer illustrates them as they are before him in the ICU — wearing hospital gowns, tubes attached to arms and sometimes noses — but the most important thing to Ferrer is to capture something of their personality that shines through in spite of the circumstances.

“I want them to realize that I see them for who they are and not just room numbers,” said Ferrer.

Ferrer said working the night shift affords him the unique opportunity to get to know his patients a little better. By the time he shows up for duty at 7 in the evening, most of his patients are settling in for some rest.

“It’s less chaotic at night,” he said. “We sometimes get the chance to really talk to our patients.” And to draw their portraits.

In the portrait of Lavinia Brooks tacked on the wall of her room, she is smiling wryly. “Ben is a wonderful person,” she said, adding that the portrait is a reminder of her mantra to keep smiling in the middle of the storm.

— Hope Hamashige

As a child, Michael Bonaguidi, PhD, dreamed of shaping cities as an architect or engineer. Now he dreams of shaping brains as the newest principal investigator in USC’s Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. He started Jan. 1.

“Growing up on Legos and Lincoln Logs, I was very fascinated with building things,” he said. “As I took more biology courses and was exposed to other facets of science — from chemistry to physics — I became more interested not in the outside but within. And that’s what got me into bioengineering versus structural engineering.”

When it comes to brains, Bonaguidi already has his building blocks. His team studies individual neural stem cells within the adult brain. These stem cells have the potential to spawn more stem cells or to form new neurons and their critical supporting cells, called astroglia.

“We’ve essentially been exploring what neural stem cells can do, both under normal conditions and after injury,” he said.

Bonaguidi found these neural stem cells in an important part of the brain known as the hippocampus, which is involved in learning, memory and emotions. These stem cells offer intriguing possibilities for treating a variety of symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease and mood disorders.

He’s also on the quest to discover whether cells in other parts of the brain can acquire regenerative capabilities following head trauma, stroke or various types of brain damage.

“My approach is actually to learn what the brain can do and what it cannot do in terms of repair and regeneration,” he said, “and to learn the lessons of what it can do, identify what it can’t do and overcome those limits.”

One way to push these limits could be by finding potential drugs and chemicals that encourage neural stem cells to either last longer or make particular types of cells. This could usher in new treatments for physically and mentally debilitating conditions.

Bonaguidi has ideal training to tackle these problems. A native of Chicago, he completed his undergraduate studies in bioengineering at Marquette University, his PhD in neuroscience at Northwestern University and his postdoctoral training in stem cells at Johns Hopkins University.

“For me, I think the sky is the limit at USC,” he said. “It’s in a tremendous growing phase right now, and that’s made very obvious by the substantial investment in stem cell research, neuroscience and imaging.”

— Cristy Lytal

The life of the WunderGlo Foundation’s late founder Gloria Borges was celebrated and memorialized recently during the presentation of a $500,000 gift toward colon cancer research at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Borges, who died in January 2014, dedicated the last three years of her life to creation of the WunderGlo Foundation, which seeks to eliminate colon cancer by funding research to find a cure.

The funds will support the research efforts of Heinz-Josef Lenz, associate director of clinical research and co-leader of the Gastrointestinal Cancers Program at USC Norris. A world-renowned faculty physician and clinical researcher, Lenz, MD, was Borges’ doctor during her own fight against colon cancer.

“Gloria was a true cancer warrior,” recalls Lenz. “When we originally partnered together to find a cure for colon cancer, she knew her fight would not be easy, but believed that the Wunder Project could make a difference by finding a cure.”

Colon cancer kills about 50,000 Americans each year, ranking as the third-leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

After receiving her diagnosis of Stage IV cancer in September 2010, Borges launched a blog, www.WunderGlo.com, which detailed her struggles and triumphs throughout the duration of an aggressive treatment plan. Her candid, optimistic and powerful words have inspired thousands of readers and dozens of cancer patients.

Stephen B. Gruber, MD, PhD, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, offered welcoming remarks at the Dec. 8 event to commemorate the WunderGlo Foundation’s extraordinary contributions to colon cancer research.

“Dr. Lenz is a world-leading authority in colon cancer research, and his cutting-edge research program is already making a difference for patients around the globe and right here at the Norris,” Gruber said. “There is no better person to lead the effort to find a cure for colon cancer.”

Lenz has focused his research on the regulation of gene expression involved in drug resistance and developing innovative methods of early detection and regulation of colon cancers.

“We know that a cure for this deadly cancer is possible,” said Lenz, “and this contribution to the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is just the beginning.”

The $500,000 gift is part of an ongoing campaign by the WunderGlo Foundation to raise $250 million for colon cancer research, with the goal of finding a cure within the next 10 years.

“This half a million dollars is a beginning for the Wunder Project in its partnership with USC to find a cure for colon cancer” said Rebecca Keller, executive director of the Gloria Borges WunderGlo Foundation and the mother of Gloria Borges.

“Gloria’s brilliant and accomplished life continues to shine through in the work she did, the love she gave, and the boundless energy that she exemplified through it all,” Keller said.

“From day one of her life to the final moments of her journey, Gloria left us with a legacy — her legacy and ours — to find the cure for cancer, and have a blast while doing it. I am deeply honored to carry on with the all-important mission of Gloria’s beloved WunderGlo Foundation,” she said.

— Ellen Gruber

Scott Petinga, a former Marine, said that being diagnosed with cancer in 2004 changed the way he thought about and acted in life. One of his first bold moves was to launch his own business, marketing firm Akquracy, where he challenged himself and his employees to constantly think differently.

He later created the Think Different Foundation to support innovative ideas in the areas of housing and healthcare. The Think Different Foundation recently awarded $500,000 to two unique programs at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center that embrace a unique approach to treating young adults with cancer.

One program that will benefit from the Think Different Foundation is AYA@USC, the adolescent and young adult cancer program at USC that was developed in collaboration with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and LAC+USC Medical Center to address the need for a comprehensive oncology program for adolescents and young adults.

Adolescents and young adults have unique challenges that frequently lead to late diagnosis and inadequate therapy such as limited insurability, low enrollment in clinical trials, and limited awareness and access to services. AYA@USC, led by Stuart Siegel, MD, associate director for pediatric oncology at the cancer center and professor/vice chair of pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, is one of only 10 U.S. programs aimed at improving survival rates of adolescents and young adults through research, treatment and education initiatives.

“I was 31 when I was diagnosed. I felt like I was stranded on a desert island. Alone, isolated,” Petinga said. “So when I learned about AYA from Dr. Siegel, I was elated to participate in moving the idea forward.”

The foundation also chose to support the testicular cancer research of Sia Daneshmand, MD, director of urologic oncology at the USC Institute of Urology. Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer among males between 20 and 39. Although testicular cancer has a relatively high cure rate, concerns remain about long-term health and quality of life of survivors.

“Quite frankly, cancer of the testis is not mainstream and doesn’t receive it’s fair share of funding,” Petinga said.

Under the direction of Daneshmand, a renowned testis cancer expert, studies are underway to evaluate the quality of life in testicular cancer patients after treatment and to develop better protocols for patients and survivors.

After beating cancer, Petinga became a dedicated philanthropist. In addition to starting two foundations, The Think Different Foundation and Fairy Foundation, he is on the board of Caring Bridge, is marketing committee chairman for Angel Foundation and volunteers with Imerman Angels. He hopes his efforts will benefit others.

“In the blink of an eye, the world around us has and will continue to change,” Petinga said. “It’s now time to change the paradigm on how we treat patients — not only the disease itself but the quality of life after the initial medical journey. Survivorship is just as vital as curing the disease itself.”

— By Hope Hamashige, Sara Reeve and Les Dunseith

The USC Eye Institute has recruited 12 physician scientists specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide spectrum of vision disorders at some of the world’s leading institutions.

The recruitment is part of an overarching growth strategy that anticipates increased demand in eye care services. According to the National Eye Institute, more than 65 percent of Americans 40 years or older suffer from some sort of vision impairment ranging from near- or far-sightedness to blindness. That number is expected to swell as the population ages.

Each recruit contributes expertise in a unique area of specialization, expanding the depth and breadth of services offered at the USC Eye Institute in ocular oncology, glaucoma, orbit and oculo-facial reconstructive surgery, cornea and external diseases, refractive surgery, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, adult strabismus and retinal diseases. Most of the new physicians also boast a multicultural pedigree.

“Los Angeles patients represent a diverse, multicultural population and require more than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ health care approach,” said Thomas Jackiewicz, senior vice president and CEO of USC Health. “At Keck Medicine of USC, we take a more personalized patient-centered approach. We welcome patients from all backgrounds, and we are proud to hire specialists who mirror that diversity.”

The Department of Ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC began seeing patients in 1974. As the cornerstone of the department, the USC Eye Institute celebrates its 40th anniversary in June 2015 as an internationally recognized center of excellence in vision research, clinical care and education. It is one of the nation’s Top 10 ophthalmology departments, according to U.S. News & World Report.

“The USC Eye Institute is pioneering the development of novel treatments for eye diseases that cause vision loss and contributing critical scientific knowledge to advance the field of ophthalmology,” said Carmen A. Puliafito, dean of the Keck School of Medicine and professor of ophthalmology. “This can only be done successfully by organizations like USC that emphasize the importance of integrating research, patient care and education.”

Over the past four decades, USC Eye Institute faculty members have received international acclaim for their contributions to vision research and patient care, including the development of optical coherence tomography, a non-invasive imaging technique used to diagnose glaucoma and retinal disorders, and the Baerveldt glaucoma implant, the world’s most widely used glaucoma implant.

Institute physician scientists developed the only commercially available retinal prosthesis to restore vision to those blind from retinitis pigmentosa and a long-term ocular drug delivery pump for the treatment of diabetic eye disease and macular degeneration. The institute also is one of the leading eye centers in the world studying the burden of vision loss and its impact on quality of life among vulnerable populations such as children and minorities.

“I am extremely pleased to welcome the new faculty hires, and it is my privilege to lead this extraordinary group going forward,” said Rohit Varma, director of the institute and professor and chair of ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine. “We hope to bring several more talented academic physicians on board within the next year, but I believe we are well-positioned to build on all of our strengths and continue to innovate, develop and fulfill our collective mission of providing the highest quality of patient-centered care.”

The institute’s new hires include Hossein Ameri (retinal diseases and degeneration); Jesse Berry (ocular oncology); Charles Flowers Jr. (cornea, cataract and refractive surgery); Veronica Isozaki (complex contact lens care); Andrew Moshfeghi (retinal diseases); Arlanna Moshfeghi (pediatric ophthalmology); Vivek Patel (neuro-ophthalmology and adult strabismus); Alena Reznik (glaucoma); Grace Richter (glaucoma); Damien Rodger (retinal diseases and uveitis); Jonathan Song (corneal disease, cataract and refractive surgery) and Sandy Zhang-Nunes (oculo-facial plastic surgery). Andrew and Arlanna Moshfeghi, Richter and Rodger are scheduled to begin seeing patients in 2015.

— Alison Trinidad

The inaugural USC Stem Cell Symposium convened with a straightforward truth about the future of regenerative medicine: “It will take a dedicated community of scholars across the disciplines to have maximum impact,” said Interim Provost Michael Quick, PhD.

The Jan. 16 symposium brought together precisely such a community, with speakers from USC’s schools of medicine, dentistry, gerontology and engineering, as well as the Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Held at Aresty Auditorium at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the event was hosted by USC Stem Cell, a collaborative and multidisciplinary effort bringing together more than 100 researchers and clinicians who work to translate discoveries into cures.

Interim Provost Michael Quick opened the stem cell symposium.

“An important part of the future is how USC Stem Cell is going to engage other schools — in business, in public policy, in law — as this area of medicine becomes increasingly more involved,” said Andy McMahon, PhD, FRS, chair of the USC Stem Cell executive committee.

He shared his vision of engaging even more scholars from beyond the scientific realm. “So I’m looking forward to a future that embraces many more schools than are currently represented.”

McMahon also unveiled two new opportunities for young scientists to engage in collaborative and creative research projects:

The new USC Stem Cell Hearst Fellowship will support exceptional junior postdoctoral fellows pursuing stem cell research at USC. The USC Stem Cell Student/Postdoc Collaborative Challenge Grant Program will provide $10,000 to one-year research projects bringing together students or postdocs in two or more labs.

McMahon said, “Particularly, we’re interested in interdisciplinary projects that bring people together across different areas of research that tend to have boundaries. The idea is to stimulate new interdisciplinary research and to enhance the student’s or postdoc’s ability to be a creative and independent scientist.”

Collaboration underway among USC-affiliated faculty members is recognized by the USC Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine Initiative (RMI) Awards, which support multi-investigator research efforts. Three winning teams presented their progress in developing stem cell-based strategies to treat certain forms of deafness, bone defects and pediatric leukemia.

One of the day’s highlights was the keynote address by Fred H. Gage, PhD, who is the Vi and John Adler chair for research on age-related neurodegenerative disease at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences and UC San Diego.

Gage discussed the concept of “mobile elements,” genetic material that can move from one part of the genome to another. When these mobile elements insert into neural genes, they may potentially alter behavior, enhance genomic diversity and even speed evolution.

Many USC Stem Cell principal investigators also shared recent research. At the end of the day, USC’s stem cell scientists left the symposium informed and inspired to translate discoveries into cures.

“It’s fantastic to see the diversity of different research that’s going on in the schools across USC,” said McMahon. “I very much look forward to meeting again next year.”

Here is a sampling of research shared at the symposium:
David Warburton, MD, of CHLA and the Keck School of Medicine addressed lung development and disease, and infant mortality in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, which has some of the world’s worst air pollution.
Paula Cannon, PhD, of the Keck School of Medicine talked about genetically modifying blood stem cells to cure HIV/AIDS.
Rong Lu, PhD, of USC’s stem cell research center discussed “barcoding” blood stem cells using a genetic label. This allows her to observe individual cells’ contributions to forming blood — determining potential strategies for better blood transfusions or bone marrow transplants.
Tracy Grikscheit, MD, of CHLA, the Keck School and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering explained how to help babies with injured or diseased intestine. She’s using discarded intestine from the operating room to regrow new intestine, which surgeons may someday reconnect to patient digestive tracts.
Senta Georgia, PhD, of CHLA and the Keck School shared a possible diabetes treatment: inducing intestinal stem cells to make insulin by “turning on” key genes.
Valter Longo, PhD, of the USC Davis School of Gerontology discussed clinical trials exploring fasting to improve chemotherapy outcomes in cancer patients and stimulate organ system regeneration in healthy patients.
Min Yu, MD, PhD, of USC’s stem cell research center and USC Norris spoke about using breast cancer cells from patients’ blood to identify mutated cancer strains and the right drugs to target them.
Alan S. Wayne, MD, of CHLA and the Keck School introduced immunotherapy for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In a clinical trial, two-thirds of children experienced complete remission.
Michael Bonaguidi, PhD, of USC’s stem cell research center described how adult neural stem cells can generate either stem cells or neurons, offering a possible avenue for treating Alzheimer’s or other brain diseases.
Justin Ichida, PhD, of USC’s stem cell research center is testing drugs on neurons formed by reprogramming skin cells from patients with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He’s found drugs that keep neurons alive in petri dishes.
Ruchi Bajpai, PhD of the Ostrow School of Dentistry and the Keck School addressed why neural tube and craniofacial birth defects occur together in a genetic disorder called CHARGE syndrome.
David Cobrinik, MD, PhD, of CHLA and the Keck School discussed a childhood eye tumor called retinoblastoma, which he studies by creating retinal tissue from stem cells.
Megan McCain, PhD, of the Viterbi School of Engineering and the Keck School introduced the “heart on a chip.” To overcome the limitations of using laboratory animals or human cells in petri dishes to study disease, McCain engineers dynamic micro-scale mimics of human heart tissue.
Cheng-Ming Chuong, PhD, of the Keck School addressed how feather stem cells enabled the evolution of birds and how hair stem cells might enable the “extinction” of male pattern baldness.
Yang Chai, DDS, PhD, director of the Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology at the
Ostrow School of Dentistry explored stem cells that can maintain tooth growth and other stem cells that might help babies with fused skulls that can’t grow normally.

— Cristy Lytal

Thomas Jackiewicz, senior vice president and CEO of Keck Medicine of USC, is serving as interim CEO of Keck Medical Center of USC. Jackiewicz is filling the role formerly held by Scott Evans, PharmD, MHA, who is leaving to become senior vice president and chief executive officer for Sharp Grossmont Hospital in San Diego. Evans’ last day is Feb. 13.

Evans has been dedicated to the Keck Medicine enterprise for 16 years, having begun his career at USC in 1999 as a pharmacist and climbing the ranks to CEO in 2012.

Thomas Jackiewicz will serve as interim CEO of Keck Medical Center of USC.

“Scott led these two hospitals at a transformative time for our academic medical enterprise, leading many achievements in quality outcomes, patient safety, performance improvement and fiscal stewardship,” Jackiewicz said. “During his tenure, Scott helped grow revenue, opened several major ambulatory centers across the community, revitalized the employee workforce through an organization-wide cultural redesign, led efforts to enhance efficiency and quality care, and helped integrate clinical services.”

As interim CEO of Keck Medical Center, Jackiewicz will ensure important continuity and ongoing successful collaboration between the hospitals’ administrative team and Keck Medicine of USC’s executive leadership team.

“Health care today is an ever-changing, complex industry with so many factors and players influencing our every step,” he said. “Change is the only constant, and we must remain poised for success. With so many exciting initiatives underway, we continue to be focused on our quest to become the most elite academic health system in Southern California.”

An international, collaborative study of the brain led by researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC has found eight common genetic mutations that seem to age the brain an average of three years — and result in smaller brains.

“Any change in those genes appears to alter your mental bank account or brain reserve by 2 or 3 percent,” said Paul Thompson, PhD, who is a professor in the Keck School of Medicine of USC and principal investigator of the Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics Through Meta Analysis network, or ENIGMA.

The team of about 300 scientists at 190 global institutions pooled brain scans and genetic data from people in 33 countries.

“This crowdsourcing and sheer wealth of data give us the power to crack the brain’s genetic code,” Thompson said. The work could lead to targeted therapies and interventions for Alzheimer’s disease, autism and other neurological conditions.

The research — the first high-profile study since the National Institutes of Health launched its Big Data to Knowledge Centers of Excellence last year — was published Jan. 21 in the journal Nature.

Using MRIs of more than 30,000 people, the researchers looked for genetic differences affecting the size of key parts of the brain that coordinate movement, learning, memory and motivation.

The group found eight genetic variants associated with reduced brain size, several in over one-fifth of the world’s population. Some of the genes are implicated in cancer and mental illness. The next step is to investigate whether the genes, besides influencing brain size, also cause disease or reduced mental function.

In October, the NIH invested nearly $32 million in its Big Data initiative, creating 12 research hubs across the United States to improve the utility of biomedical data. USC’s two Big Data to Knowledge Centers of Excellence, including ENIGMA, were awarded $23 million over four years.

“The ENIGMA Center’s work uses vast data sets as engines of biomedical discovery; it shows how each individual’s genetic blueprint shapes the human brain,” said Philip Bourne, NIH associate director for data science.

USC co-authors included other researchers at Keck School of Medicine of USC: Provost Professor Arthur W. Toga and Assistant Professors Derrek Hibar and Neda Jahanshad. ENIGMA was supported in part by a consortium grant from the NIH Big Data to Knowledge Initiative and by public and private agencies worldwide.

— Alison Trinidad

Sandy Pfirrman, Keck Medical Center of USC’s inaugural Employee of the Year, arrives to work each day 45 minutes early — and has done so for nearly six years.

This gives her time to gather herself, have a cup of coffee and relax before the day begins.

Sandra Pfirrman has been named Employee of the Year.

“I tell myself, ‘Today is going to be a great day, no matter what,’” the mother of three daughters said. “I’m going to put everything aside for the patients and their families.”

Pfirrman was selected as the 2014 Employee of the Year from among the year’s monthly winners. The honor includes a $2,500 payment.

The Employee of the Month program rewards excellence and goes to employees who demonstrate Keck Service Culture standards. Staff members are nominated by their peers.

Pfirrman works in concierge services, checking in surgery patients at Keck Hospital. She often assists patients’ family members and other loved ones as they wait in the Gold Lobby — everything from getting someone a cup of coffee, connecting patients and their families with doctors and nurses, or simply offering a warm smile. She recently bought lunch for a mother and her three children waiting for a patient undergoing heart surgery.

“I don’t want them to feel like they are walking into a hospital,” Pfirrman said. “I want to make the best possible experience for them.”

She added: “I love what I do. Being here has been a gift.”

Patient advocate Laura Molyneaux was among several colleagues who originally nominated Pfirrman for Employee of the Month. She described Pfirrman as a dedicated staff member who is consistently attentive, compassionate and kind to colleagues, patients and their families.

“She always has a smile on her face,” Molyneaux said. “She cares so much.”

Patients and families have sent in many letters commending Pfirrman’s work.

“They say she’s an angel,” Molyneaux said.

— Douglas Morino

The ground is moving. The rumble of construction trucks signals that work is underway on a series of projects across the Health Science Campus aimed at increasing parking and expanding medical services.

Construction began in January on the USC Norris Healthcare Center (HC3) near the corner of Alcazar and San Pablo streets. The building will house clinics dedicated to cancer treatment, including an ambulatory surgery center and a women’s cancer program. There will also be a retail pharmacy, along with patient and family waiting areas.

After a delay because of obtaining permits, construction began in November and continues on a six-level, 1,200 space parking structure on San Pablo Street, near Valley Boulevard. The structure is expected to open in late 2015, according to Elvis Evans, manager of hospital parking and transportation operations.

“Projects such as the SSP Structure will be very beneficial to employees and patients, as it will relieve the pressure [for parking] we are currently facing,” Evans said.

Off-site parking areas are suggested to employees, helping them avoid dust and debris from construction, as well as traffic delays and limited space to park, Evans added.

Construction of the O’Neal Lot on the corner of Soto and Alcazar streets has been delayed until the new parking structure is completed. The lot is expected to be finished in July 2016 and will create 300 spaces.

The finished six-story parking structure will eventually sit next to a new extended-stay 200-bed hotel on the northeast corner of the San Pablo and Alcazar intersection. The hotel development will include 19,000 square feet of retail space, including a sit-down restaurant and 14,000 square feet of conference space, said Laurie Stone, associate senior vice president for real estate and asset management.

A new student housing building is under construction and will have 177 units with about 450 beds. The building is expected to be completed by fall 2016.

— Douglas Morino

It takes more than materials and methods to be a successful young scientist — it also takes means. With this in mind, the Hearst Foundations have given a gift of $250,000 to support exceptional junior postdoctoral fellows pursuing stem cell research at USC.

“Being able to support the stem cell fellows at USC is a necessary and vital step in advancing stem cell research and regenerative medicine. The Hearst Foundations are very excited to support these efforts at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC,” said Paul “Dino” Dinowitz, executive director of the Hearst Foundations.

As Hearst Fellows, these postdoctoral researchers will launch their early scientific careers with a generous startup package, including salary and benefits for a full year.

They will enjoy access to world-class facilities and equipment — including the William Randolph Hearst Foundation Imaging Laboratory, supported by a previous $100,000 gift from the Hearst Foundations.

The Hearst Fellows will also connect with faculty and colleagues across the university through USC Stem Cell, a collaborative and multidisciplinary effort bringing together more than 100 researchers working to translate discoveries into cures.

As part of this vibrant USC Stem Cell community, the Hearst Fellows will have the resources to acquire the critical preliminary data needed to compete for nationwide awards and additional fellowships.

This gift from the Hearst Foundations in support of junior postdoctoral fellows comes on the heels of a gift from the Broad Foundation in support of senior postdoctoral fellows. Together, these two gifts enable USC to recruit and inspire today’s promising stem cell scientists — who will usher in tomorrow’s lifesaving stem cell-based cures.“By investing in the next generation of stem cell researchers, the Hearst Foundations is also investing in the next generation of treatments and cures for patients,” said Andy McMahon, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. “This gift demonstrates the foundation’s visionary commitment to cultivating young scientific minds and creating a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health.”

— Cristy Lytal