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Celebrating 20 Years of Impact
Read our 20th Anniversary Impact Report to discover the stories, science and successes behind two decades of transformative stem cell research.
In 2005, the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center was founded with an ambitious mission: to transform the future of medicine through stem cell science. Over the past 20 years, our scientists have redefined what’s possible, pioneering therapies for once-incurable diseases and building a foundation for a new era of regenerative medicine. From groundbreaking discoveries in foundational biology to life-saving treatments reaching patients worldwide, the impact of our work is already profound. With every breakthrough, we move closer to a future where more patients benefit from the promise of regenerative medicine. Explore two decades of impact and discover how our work is shaping what comes next.
The founding vision for the center was to create a hub where collaboration and innovation would drive breakthroughs in human health. Today, that vision continues to inspire as we advance stem cell research to deliver real-world solutions that improve lives and redefine the future of medicine.
- Director, UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center
- Professor, Neurology
Our Stories
Origins of a Powerhouse
UCLA launches $20 million stem cell institute to investigate new approaches to HIV, cancer and neurological disorders
Drawing together experts from fields as diverse as engineering to molecular biology, UCLA officials announced March 15 the formation of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine to conduct embryonic and adult stem cell research that may lead to better treatments for HIV, cancer and neurological disorders.
Meet Our Scientists
Yvonne Y. Chen, Ph.D.
Chen is engineering immune cells to outsmart cancer. Learn how her cutting-edge CAR-T therapy is changing lives — and why karaoke keeps her connected to her roots.
Anthony J. Covarrubias, Ph.D.
Covarrubias investigates how aging and inflammation drive disease — work inspired by health disparities in vulnerable communities. Discover his passion for outreach, homegrown tomatoes and restoring a ‘54 Chevy.
Andrew S. Goldstein, Ph.D.
Goldstein is uncovering how prostate cancer originates — and how to stop it. A former pro athlete and dedicated LGBTQ+ advocate, he’s breaking barriers in both science and sports.
Oluwatayo (Tayo) Ikotun, Ph.D.
Ikotun uses nuclear imaging to reveal how the immune system fights disease — and where it falls short. Learn how her love of performance and superhero mindset shape her approach to science.
Melody Man Hing Li, Ph.D.
Li deciphers how viruses evade the immune system — and why some breach the brain’s defenses. Learn how a childhood dream, off-trail adventures and a love of dance fuel her scientific journey.
April Pyle, Ph.D.
Pyle is advancing gene therapies to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, turning bold ideas into potential cures. Learn how collaboration fuels her research — and why she finds clarity on the slopes.
Thomas A. Rando, M.D., Ph.D.
Rando leverages stem cells to unlock the secrets of aging and develop therapies that extend healthspan, not just lifespan. Discover how his work is reshaping longevity research.
Ken Yamauchi, Ph.D.
Yamauchi brings science into focus — helping researchers capture the unseen through advanced microscopy. Discover how his passion for imaging, taiko drumming and gardening shape his meticulous approach to discovery.
Jerome A. Zack, Ph.D.
Zack is leading the charge to develop therapies that could one day cure HIV. From retrovirus research to mentoring the next generation, his work is shaping the future of infectious disease science.
Aparna Bhaduri, Ph.D.
Bhaduri unravels how the brain builds itself — and why those same processes drive deadly cancers. Discover how she tackles big scientific questions and scales new heights (despite a fear of them).
Patient Stories
Evie Junior
Evie spent years battling sickle cell disease, enduring pain crises and hospital stays. Thanks to an experimental gene therapy, he’s now living free of disease symptoms — and the dream of a future where he can start a family.
Hussein El Kerdi
Born with a life-threatening immune disorder, Hussein’s only hope was an experimental gene therapy 7,500 miles from home. Thanks to the UCLA treatment, he’s now healthy and celebrating birthdays his family once feared he’d never see.
Marley Gaskins
Marley's rare immune disorder left her vulnerable to deadly infections. Thanks to a groundbreaking UCLA gene therapy, she’s now living a full, healthy life — going to school, making friends and embracing new adventures.
STEM CELLS IN FOCUS
A slice through an organoid of the developing human cortex, labeled for different brain cell types: oligodendrocytes in green, astrocytes in yellow, and neurons in red. These organoids are made from stem cell lines with mutations in autism risk genes to better understand how these genes affect brain development. | Credit: George Chen/Daniel Geschwind Lab
A microscopy image demonstrating restoration of beta dystroglycan in muscle myotubes derived from CRISPR/Cas9-corrected Duchenne muscular dystrophy human induced pluripotent stem cells. Credit: Melissa Spencer Lab
Microscopic image of a brain organoid that looks like a bunny. Regions in yellow located on the "bunny" 's ears, nose and belly indicate cortical characteristics of these cells, and regions in blue indicate inhibitory neurons. This organoid was made from stem cells derived from a patient carrying genetic mutation on chromosome 15 that leads to autism spectrum disorder and will help our lab study the pathological mechanism behind this particular mutation. | Credit: Cendi Ling/ Bennett Novitch Lab
This image captures a retinal pigment epithelium, or RPE, derived from an induced-pluripotent stem cell, or iPSC, line. Image shows cell borders (green), mature RPE-specific marker (red), and cell nuclei (blue) in iPSC-RPE cells in order to confirm the identity of iPSC-derived RPE cells. The RPE is a single cell layer in the retina that is essential for photopic vision, so progressive RPE degeneration severely compromises visual function. Stem cell-derived RPE cells are considered a promising treatment for RPE atrophy. The research goal of the Translational Cell Therapy Lab is to characterize iPSC-RPE cells for safety and functionality before clinical application into a patient’s subretinal space for vision restoration. | Credit: Caitlin Chen/TCTL
The Butler lab studies the earliest events in the development of the spinal cord and use this knowledge to direct embryonic stem cells to obtain spinal cord neurons in the dish. During embryonic development, cells of the spinal cord and part of musculature arise from a common progenitor, called neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs). This image depicts the simultaneous differentiation of muscles and motor neurons from the mouse embryonic stem cell-derived NMPs. The cultures were fixed and stained with neurons and muscle-specific antibodies. Motor neurons are labeled with a neuronal marker-Tuj1 (in green). Muscle fibers are labeled with a muscle-specific marker-MF50 (in red) and motor neuron progenitor cells are labeled with neural progenitor marker Sox2 (in blue). Note that Tuj1 labeled axons (green) readily make contact with the muscle fibers (red). This in vitro differentiation of NMPs will help understand the pathologies of the neuromuscular junctions such as spinal muscular atrophy. | Credit: Sandeep Gupta/Samantha Butler Lab
Using human stem cells, we can make specific sensory nerve cells of the spinal cord in the dish to understand the disease and to make cells for regenerative therapies. The current image shows some of these nerve cells, called dI3 neurons (shown in red and green staining), in the 30-day-old 3D spheroid (shown in blue). In the spinal cord, these dI3 neurons relay touch and mechanical sensation to the brain. Using these stem cell-derived nerve cells, we are investigating how different diseases, such as sensory processing disorders, affect spinal cord neurons. | Credit: Piunik Shahgholian/Samantha Butler Lab
Microscopic image of skeletal muscle fibers (in red) produced from embryonic stem cells. The muscle stem cell (in green) will be use in cell therapy to regenerate human skeletal muscles. The nuclei of the cell is shown in blue. | Credit: Kilian Mazaleyrat/ April Pyle Lab
Microscopic image of airway epithelium, showing stem cells (in white) that regenerate and mature into differentiated cells of the airway, including ciliated cells (in fuchsia) to form an impermeable barrier with tight junctions between cells (in green). This epithelial sample was grown on a special membrane to allow exposure of the top-most cells to air, helping our lab to develop tools for inhalable gene therapies to treat cystic fibrosis. | Credit: Ruth Foley/Steven Jonas Lab
Microscopic images of human stem cell–derived airway tissue models with cell nuclei (blue) and SARS-CoV-2 virus infected cells (green); tissue exposed to cigarette smoke had 2 to 3 times more infected cells than non-exposed tissue. | Credit: Brigitte Gomperts Lab
Microscopic image of a embryoid body formed by induced pluripotent stem cells, showing their nuclei (blue) and VE-cadherin (an endothelial cell marker, green). This confirmed the functionality of the induced pluripotent stem cells from mouse fibroblasts that it can convert to other cell types. | Credit: Yifan Wu/Song Li Lab
Human stem cell-engineered iNKT cells (blue) attack a human blood cancer cell (magenta). | Credit: Lili Yang Lab
Brain development is an intricately regulated process, the modeling of which in the lab has been enabled by the ability to differentiate human stem cells in three-dimensional cultures. Here, stem cells were differentiated into neuronal cell types to form a human cortical spheroid that recapitulates forebrain development. The spheroid was processed using a technique called CLARITY to produce an optically clear tissue, and stained for neurons (green), astrocytes (red), and nuclei (blue). | Credit: Daniel Geschwind Lab
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