USC Research and Innovation

What people really think about ultra-wealthy billionaires Is extreme wealth a moral failure or a badge of honor? A global study reveals what really drives judgments about the ultra-rich

Is extreme wealth a moral failure, or a badge of honor? A global study co-led by USC Dornsife reveals what really drives our judgments.

Should you trust that five-star rating on Airbnb? How to make sense of online customer reviews

According to research by Dana Mayzlin, marketing professor at Marshall, small independently owned hotels generated more fake positive reviews than major hotel brands, as cited in The Economist.

CHLA Team Finds Potential Treatment Target for Rhabdomyosarcoma The Children’s Hospital Los Angeles study marks an important step toward developing treatments specific to each type of rhabdomyosarcoma.

A step forward for Rhabdomyosarcoma care.

Researchers at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have identified a key difference between the two main types of rhabdomyosarcoma, paving the way for more targeted treatments.

More on this incredible #research 🔗 ⬇️

#ResearchSky #Cancer #MedSky

🌎Applications open! Our Health & Climate Change Reporting Fellowship offers $2K–$10K grants & 5 months of mentorship, peer meetings + 2-day training at USC! @uscclimate.bsky.social‬

Apply by Sept 3: bit.ly/HealthandClimateChangeInfo

#JournalismFellowship #ClimateReporting #ClimateHealth

USC-led study finds potential new drug target for Alzheimer's disease Related News Possible tool discovered to diagnose common contributor to vascular dementia October 6, 2023 USC Center for Personalized Brain Health maps new path for Alzheimer's prevention and treatment October [...]

Researchers have discovered how a cell pathway drives inflammation & aging—linked to #Alzheimers, especially in people with the APOE4 gene.

They also found a way to restore cells to a healthy state, opening the door to potential treatments.

#ResearchSky #MedSky

Our very own @lsalminen.bsky.social was invited to AirTalk to discuss her work and findings from a recent epidemiological study on air pollution and dementia. Catch her segment starting around minute 18 👂🧠
bit.ly/45CSIJj

A first-of-its-kind study offers hope for future treatments of urinary incontinence caused by neurological disorders, aging and other conditions.

Bladder dysfunction affects 33 million Americans. @viterbischool.usc.edu researchers just uncovered how spinal cord activity governs urination, a first-of-its-kind insight that could transform treatment.

‘Neglected’ particles that could rescue quantum computing USC researchers show how to turn quantum system into universal computer.

Quantum computing could transform medicine, energy, and AI. But qubits are unstable, error-prone, and hard to tame. @simonsfoundation.org & USC found a fix - in a particle others had thrown away.

Migraines and salt: USC neurologist connects the dots Related News Breaking the Sound Barrier: Dr. Ksenia Gnedeva’s Transformative Research on Growth and Regeneration in the Inner Ear Sensory Organs August 22, 2023 A.P. Giannini Foundation helps cancer r...

Migraines may be linked to how the brain handles salt 👉🧂

USC neurologist Michael Harrington's research shows that people with migraines have more sodium in their brain, even when they eat less salt. #Science🧪 #Research

📢 Research funding opportunity: The USC-Yale Roybal Center for Behavioral Interventions in Aging is now accepting proposals for projects testing mechanisms of behavior change aimed at improving health-related outcomes from midlife to older adulthood. redcap.northwell.edu/surveys/?s=7...

Why Understanding AI Doesn’t Necessarily Lead People to Embrace It New research has uncovered a paradoxical relationship between AI literacy and receptivity: Individuals with lower AI literacy are more likely to embrace AI, despite perceiving it as less capable and m...

Stephanie Tully's research on the interest in using artificial intelligence finds that those with more knowledge of AI and its capabilities are less likely to embrace it.

Don’t Call It Market Timing. But These Are the Best Months to Invest. Why it pays to count the number of Fridays in each month.

Associate Professor Bobby Carnes’ research revealed that during five-Friday months, retail investors tend to contribute their extra paycheck to stock market investments.

Join CTIP for the 2025 Pediatric Device Innovation Symposium — focused on transforming pediatric healthcare through MedTech innovation.

🗓️ Friday August 15, 9am-3pm
📍 Chicago/Virtual
ℹ️ www.ctipmedtech.org/2025-ctip-sy...
🎟️ airtable.com/appi11X0eWvY...

Narrower Coverage of MS Drugs Tied to Higher Relapse Risk - August 1, 2025 - USC Schaeffer Treatments for complex conditions such as multiple sclerosis often work differently in each patient. New research shows how broad formulary exclusions may negatively impact patients’ health. - August ...

A new USC Schaeffer Center study in @jamanetworkopen.com highlights the potential health consequences of increasingly narrow drug formularies for complex conditions.

Medicare beneficiaries with MS whose plans provided broader coverage had a significantly lower risk of relapse in subsequent months.

“Everyone’s digestive system has a unique resident community of hundreds of bacterial species,” says Finkel, professor of biological sciences. These trillions of microbes may influence everything from our weight to our mood.

Can a bad mood start in your gut? @dornsife.usc.edu scientists discovered how trillions of microbes in your digestive system impact mental health, immunity, and well-being.

🔗 uscne.ws/gut

Congrats to USC Viterbi Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Prof. Hangbo Zhao on receiving a 2025 NSF CAREER Award for Advanced Manufacturing Research!
Tap the link to read more: viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2025/07...

Join CTIP for the 2025 Pediatric Device Innovation Symposium — focused on transforming pediatric healthcare through MedTech innovation.

🗓️ Friday August 15, 9am-3pm
📍 Chicago/Virtual
ℹ️ www.ctipmedtech.org/2025-ctip-sy...
🎟️ airtable.com/appi11X0eWvY...

Meet USC’s CIRM Scholar Alumni: Suhasni Gopalakrishnan, Director at Allogene Therapeutics “I feel like I'm a person who goes with the flow,” said Suhasni Gopalakrishnan, Director at Allogene Therapeutics in San Francisco. Going with the flow has led Gopalakrishnan to many fascinating places. Originally from Chennai in southern India, she grew up in a family of scientists and engineers. “I was always interested in science and math,” she said. “And when it came time for me to decide what major I wanted to pursue for my undergraduate studies, I was choosing between conventional engineering paths or something else. And that something else happened to be biotechnology, mostly because I felt like there were way too many electrical and computer engineers in my family!”

Meet the Trojan transforming loss into life-saving research. @keck.usc.edu alum Suhasni's journey from USC trainee to biotech began after losing both her husband and father to cancer. 💛

Alcohol-related liver disease has more than doubled in the last 20 years LOS ANGELES — Americans who drink heavily are more than twice as likely to develop significant liver disease compared to 20 years ago, according to a new Keck Medicine of USC study published today in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.  “Alcohol-related liver disease is the main cause of liver-related death and these results are a majo...

Liver disease is rising, but Americans aren't drinking more. @keckmedicineusc.bsky.social researchers link the surge to women, older adults, people in poverty, and those with metabolic syndrome.

Mindfulness Meditation Can Sharpen Attention in Adults of All Ages

Struggling to focus? A USC study reveals that just 10–15 minutes of mindfulness meditation each day can boost attention control for adults of any age. 🧘

🔗 uscne.ws/meditation

Kidney cells from #stemcells. Yep, it's happening.

Nils Lindström, PhD, with @lindstromlab.bsky.social at stemcell.keck.usc.edu explains the process of turning stem cells into organoids, a pathway to identifying new treatments for kidney disease.

#Science 🧪

USC Student Finds Passion for Innovation Through OORI’s Early Career Programs - Office of Research and Innovation As an undergraduate at the USC Marshall School of Business, Wednesday Satterlee didn’t arrive on campus with a clear career path—but she left with a passion for innovation and a drive to support early...

Wednesday Satterlee didn’t arrive at USC Marshall with a clear career path—but she left with a passion for innovation and early-stage entrepreneurship.

Thanks to experiences supported by @researchatusc.bsky.social, she's discovered a new direction for her future.

Find out more ⬇️

A Value-Based Price for Anti-Obesity Medications - July 17, 2025 - USC Schaeffer An appropriate price for GLP-1s should reflect the underlying value of the highly effective treatments. We use a dynamic microsimulation to estimate value-based prices that account for the health bene...

A fair price for anti-obesity medications should reflect their underlying value.

New Schaeffer Center research estimates value-based prices for GLP-1s, accounting for patients’ health gains, reduced medical spending and increased productivity.

Research Research is fundamental to USC’s mission. It expands human knowledge, cures diseases and saves lives, and serves our community, economy and nation.

"Research is fundamental to USC's mission. Thank you for supporting the faculty who have dedicated their lives to this vital work.” - Interim President Beong Kim #FightOnForResearch weare.sc/rsl-by

Why quitting a job you used to love is OK | Cornell Chronicle People who are passionate about their work, but then become less engaged in it, may stay at the job due to an exaggerated fear that others will judge them harshly for quitting, but new research has re...

A recent study by USC Marshall’s Zachariah Berry and co-authors indicates that people will often stay at a job they no longer enjoy for fear of judgment by others.

We join Interim President Beong Kim in supporting @usc.edu's mission to #FightOnForResearch

#MedSky #Science 🧪

2025 Clinical Trial Recruitment Lab (CTRL) Request for Applications - June 2, 2025 - USC Schaeffer This notice invites applications for projects that leverage innovative technology-based approaches, including AI and machine learning, to overcome recruitment and retention barriers in Alzheimer’s cli...

📢 Funding opportunity: The USC Clinical Trial Recruitment Lab is seeking proposals for tech-based approaches to tackling recruitment and retention barriers in #Alzheimers trials. Pre-proposals are due July 18.

Hearing devices significantly improve social lives of those with hearing loss LOS ANGELES — Hearing loss doesn’t just affect how people hear the world — it can also change how they connect with it. A new study from the USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, part of Keck Medicine of USC, published today in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, is the first to link hearing aids and c...

Nearly 40 million Americans live with hearing loss. @keckmedicineusc.bsky.social research shows hearing devices restore more than sound: they restore connection and confidence. 🤝

This is the research that @usccee.bsky.social Professor and Chair Burcin Becerik-Gerber and USC ICT’s Gale Lucas are conducting along with MassMotion, developing simulation tools which allow people to understand and plan for behavioral responses. viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2025/07...

USC Dornsife wildfire soil testing boosted by $1M FireAid grant Funding widens Public Exchange’s CLEAN soil testing program after L.A. wildfires to find more contaminants and speed lab results

@dornsife.usc.edu researchers are getting their hands dirty for L.A. A $1M grant expands wildfire soil testing to screen for lead, heavy metals, and hidden toxins.