USC Stem Cell is requesting research proposals from principal investigators and senior postdoctoral scientists for three new awards and fellowships totaling $600,000.

A gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has established the Eli and Edythe Broad Innovation Awards in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at USC. Two awards totaling $120,000 each will be given to successful teams in this year’s competition: the Organ-in-a-Dish Challenge.

In the early 1950s, Clifford Grobstein pioneered in vitro organ explant culture to study kidney function. Recently, self-assembling, stem cell-initiated organoids, or miniaturized organs, have started to provide new insights into development and disease. Furthermore, organ-on-a-chip approaches, using synthetic assemblies of a variety of cell types, have been shown to replicate organ-specific activities.

USC Stem Cell is seeking innovative proposals to develop broadly enabling strategies to advance our understanding of mammalian organ development, repair and function. All USC faculty with principal investigator (PI) privileges are eligible to apply, and multi-investigator proposals with complementary expertise are encouraged. Pre-proposals are requested by Aug. 31, and up to four teams will be invited to submit a full proposal for an Oct. 15 deadline.

Another recent gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation established the Eli and Edythe Broad Society of Fellows at USC. An annual fellowship award of $80,000 that includes one year of salary and research support will be made to an exceptional senior postdoctoral researcher within USC’s stem cell research center. This investment and prestigious recognition for a stellar senior postdoctoral fellow is designed to ensure that he/she has the resources to complete the postdoctoral fellowship and acquire preliminary data that will facilitate the transition to an independent researcher position. A complete proposal is due by Sept. 15 at 5 p.m.

A generous bequest by the Audrey E. Streedain Trust to the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has established the Audrey Streedain Initiative in Regenerative Medicine. Two awards of $140,000 each will support research in the following areas: the development of novel animal models to study mammalian tissue repair and regeneration; the development of gene-directed or cell-directed treatments for mammalian tissue repair; and/or the identification of small molecule leads to stimulate stem cell activity and enhance tissue repair and regeneration. All USC Stem Cell-affiliated faculty with PI privileges are eligible to apply, and multi-investigator proposals with complementary expertise are encouraged. Applications are due Oct. 1.

For more details, visit stemcell.usc.edu.