Stem Cells

A new study from UC Merced Professor Jennifer O.

Last fall, the

By Jeremy Olson for UC Merced Magazine

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the fall 2015 issue of UC Merced Magazine.

Professor Kara E. McCloskey will speak this week about cardiovascular stem cell engineering as part of the Modesto Area Partners in Science (MAPS) lecture series. The free talk will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan.

UC Merced Professor Kara McCloskey was recently awarded a highly competitive $500,000 grant to continue tackling significant, unresolved issues in human stem cell biology, as part of an effort to enhance stem-cell research in California.

This past month, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), and its governing board, approved more than $27 million for Basic Biology V Awards, of which McCloskey’s grant is included. The leads for this center include Stanford University and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Researchers at the University of California, Merced, have discovered a new way in which bone health impacts a person's immune system.

The discovery could impact how scientists try to combat bone-related disease, as drugs to improve bone quality could weaken a person's immune system.

"The bone does have an influence on the basic biology of blood development," immunology Professor Jennifer Manilay said. "This interdisciplinary research shows the need to look at the whole organ."

The University of California, Merced, today celebrates the opening of its state-of-the-art Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry, made possible through the support of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and Ed and Jeanne Kashian of Fresno.

 The foundry, housed on the first floor of the Science and Engineering Building, will expand the research capabilities of UC Merced's stem cell faculty members and serve as a resource for researchers throughout the state.