In March 2020, Justin Ichida, PhD, was appointed to a prestigious endowed professorship at Keck School of Medicine of USC through a generous philanthropic gift from the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation. On October 20, 2022, more than two years later, an appreciative group of scientific leaders, colleagues, philanthropists, family, and friends were at last able to gather and celebrate.

“Justin is not only on the cutting edge, he’s beyond the cutting edge,” said Cheryl Mae Craft, PhD, president and CEO of the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation and professor of Ophthalmology and Integrative Anatomical Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “I truly believe his innovative approach is the future of treatments and cures for ALS and for Alzheimer’s disease.”

Developing effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, frontotemporal dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease is one of medical science’s most urgent yet intractable challenges. The Ichida Lab has rapidly distinguished itself for its highly innovative, stem-cell based approach.

To read more, visit https://keck.usc.edu/the-coolest-lab-at-keck-school.