Backed by the combined expertise of three USC schools, scientists are developing a new drug aimed at a previously unexplored biological target in Alzheimer’s disease, aided by an $8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The team, led by Hussein Yassine of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, is investigating why some carriers of the APOE4 gene — the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s — develop dementia while others remain cognitively healthy. His lab has identified an enzyme that predisposes the brain to inflammation and the research team is now working to find a drug that can block it without harmful side effects. Their work points to an enzyme which breaks down protective omega-3 fatty acids in the brain and triggers damaging inflammation.

Myopia, or short-sightedness, is on the rise worldwide and has become a major public health issue—especially in East Asia, where large numbers of school-aged children are affected. Traditionally, factors such as family history, intensive reading, heavy screen use, and limited time spent outdoors have been seen as the main causes. Hua Yan and colleagues suggests another possible cause: poor air quality.

In 2014, 23 states expanded access to Medicaid. Income for newly eligible individuals in those states were compared to income for those who would have been expanded in the 10 states who chose not to expand access to Medicaid.  “Gaining a better understanding of how increased access to Medicaid impacts individuals across a multitude of dimensions, including economic, is critical for the current political moment in which Medicaid funding faces substantial uncertainty,” said study co-author Becky Staiger, assistant professor of Health Policy and Management at UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

The Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes (IPSO) Collaborative has received the prestigious John M. Eisenberg Award for National Achievement in Patient Safety and Quality, recognizing outstanding leadership and innovation in reducing pediatric sepsis mortality. The award was announced at the Joint Commission's UNIFY 2025 Convention for Quality in Washington, D.C., honoring the efforts of ISPO and the IPSO co-chairs, including Charles G. Macias, MD, MPH, Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Chief Quality Officer at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. 

In a mouse model of liver transplantation, researchers have identified proteins that act as “protective switches” guarding the liver against damage occurring when blood supply is restored during transplantation, a process known as ischemia-reperfusion injury. But they also found the same protective relationship in discarded human livers that we deemed unsuitable for transplantation.