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Daniel J. Epstein has spent decades making a difference in research, teaching and athletics at USC
Daniel J. Epstein ’62 returned to USC’s University Park Campus during Alumni Weekend in November to accept the Half Century Trojans Hall of Fame Award from the USC Alumni Association. (USC Photo/Ligia Chin Photography)
Alumni
Daniel J. Epstein has spent decades making a difference in research, teaching and athletics at USC
“Where I am now is ‘give-back’ time,” the Half Century Trojan says.
As a student at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Daniel J. Epstein ’62 became a world-class problem-solver — before he even knew where his solutions would take him.
Those abilities carried him from working on punch-card computers to construction sites, from helping create the infrastructure of the Saturn V rocket for the Apollo Space Program to developing apartment complexes across California. More than just providing him a degree, USC helped Epstein grow a transferable skill set — systems thinking, efficiency, adaptability — that helped him build his life and career.
As his skills have served him, Epstein has devoted himself to giving back to his alma mater in a big way through impactful initiatives, programs and facilities that have sustained USC’s excellence in research, teaching and athletics. Most recently, the USC Epstein Family Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC was renamed in honor of a transformative gift from Epstein; his wife, Phyllis; and their family.
“We’re in the make-a-difference business, and that’s what we’ve tried to do,” Epstein says. “It’s about finding situations where, if we support them, it will be meaningful and make a difference in people’s lives.”
USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim praises Epstein for his longstanding dedication to the university.
“Dan and his family have propelled USC’s leadership in the myriad fields they support,” Kim says. “Their support of USC is driven by an unwavering commitment to driving innovation in our research efforts, as well as enhancing our students’ education and overall experience.”
An enduring commitment
After growing up in Los Angeles, Epstein applied to only one college: USC. In college, Epstein held multiple jobs, including scooping ice cream at a Baskin-Robbins and working as a teaching assistant on campus.
Epstein graduated with honors from USC Viterbi in 1962 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial systems engineering. Since then, his ties to USC have remained steadfast.
He credits his years as a student at USC with giving him the skills that propelled his success. The ConAm Group he founded is one of the nation’s top apartment management/ownership firms, managing more than 60,000 apartments across the United States valued at approximately $20 billion, and has developed and constructed more than 35,000 units.
“We’ve had a successful business, and where I am now is give-back time,” Epstein says. “I’m pleased to help support whatever USC’s future is — and I’m glad to be along for the ride.”
His support for the university has had enormous impact. His 2002 gift established the Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering in USC Viterbi. His ongoing commitment to the department has led to the creation of new endowed chairs, the Daniel J. Epstein Institute, and, in 2020, the Master of Science in Health Systems Management Engineering. Beginning in December, the Industrial and Systems Engineering department will be housed in a newly renovated building — thanks to Epstein’s support.
“The department’s really been spread all over the landscape, all over the university,” Epstein says. “This is a big opportunity and will really make a difference.”
Giving as a family project
Epstein’s dedication to the future of USC can also be seen in centers of excellence across the university’s campuses, including the Epstein Family Alumni Center; the USC Epstein Family Center for Sports Medicine; the RAND-USC Epstein Family Foundation Center for Veterans Policy Research at USC; and, most recently, the USC Epstein Family Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute.
“The Epstein family has been a wonderful partner to our research program since the founding of the institute more than a decade ago,” says Paul Aisen, founding director of the USC Epstein Family Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute. “Their commitment, collaboration and generosity have played a major part in the enormous strides in Alzheimer’s therapeutics in recent years. We are thrilled and honored to continue this partnership.”
The Epsteins’ support for research to treat and end Alzheimer’s disease is deeply personal. Daniel Epstein’s late brother David, his identical twin, lived with the disease for the last 15 years of his life. David Epstein passed away in 2021; a year after his death, the family provided support for the founding of the Epstein Family Alzheimer’s Research Collaboration between USC and the University of California, San Diego, to more quickly advance research focused on discovering effective treatments.
His family has also given generously to the USC Shoah Foundation, of which Phyllis Epstein is a board member. Daughter Julie Epstein Bronstein and son Michael Epstein are both USC graduates. Through the Epstein Family Foundation, the family recently made a leadership investment in student experiences at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, D.C. And of course, Epstein’s love for USC football can be seen every time he watches a game from the Epstein Athletics Director’s Suite at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Epstein says one question drives the family’s philanthropic efforts at USC and elsewhere: “What do you want to do with your success?”
“Rather than accumulating more things for ourselves, we’d rather identify how we can make a difference,” he says. “There are so many things out there that need support, and [the giving back] all started at USC.”
Giving back for a half century
Epstein returned to USC’s University Park Campus during Alumni Weekend in November to accept the Half Century Trojans Hall of Fame Award from the USC Alumni Association.
Half Century Trojans are a community of all USC alumni who have reached the 50th anniversary of receiving their degree from the university. During a brunch at Town and Gown, the association honored Epstein for exemplifying the ideals of the Trojan Family and helping to build an enduring legacy on campus — and in the lives of his fellow Trojans.
At the event, Kim lauded Epstein as “the bridge between USC’s past and its future.” In accepting the award, Epstein displayed his wry sense of humor and everlasting gratitude to USC.
“At this point in my career, to be recognized prospectively rather than posthumously — it’s all one can ask for,” he said. “I am particularly glad to be recognized by this group for my involvement. But I’ve never been the Lone Ranger, and whatever I’ve accomplished, it’s because of being a Trojan.”
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USC scientists identify promising new target for Alzheimer’s-linked brain inflammation
The team evaluated billions of potential molecules, prioritizing those predicted to be selective, brain-penetrant and active under biologically relevant conditions. (USC Photo)
Health
USC scientists identify promising new target for Alzheimer’s-linked brain inflammation
A multidisciplinary team has developed a selective compound that inhibits an enzyme tied to inflammation in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s — while preserving normal brain function and crossing the blood-brain barrier.
A multidisciplinary USC research team has identified new compounds that may target a key driver of brain inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Their research just published in the Nature publication npj Drug Discovery.
The driver is an enzyme called “calcium-dependent phospholipase A2,” or cPLA2. The team discovered its role in brain inflammation by studying people who carry the APOE4 gene — the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. While many people who have the APOE4 gene don’t develop the disease, those with elevated levels of cPLA2 generally do.
The problem is that cPLA2 is also essential for normal brain function, so any potential drug molecule would need to inhibit the enzyme’s activity without eliminating it. The molecular candidate would also need to be small enough to cross the blood brain barrier to be effective.
“In this study, we identified compounds that act selectively on cPLA2, with minimal effects on related PLA2 enzymes that are important for normal cellular function,” said senior author Hussein Yassine, director of the Center for Personalized Brain Health at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Across cell-based and animal models, cPLA2 activity was reduced at low concentrations, indicating that the compounds are potent in brain-relevant systems.”
Alzheimer’s-linked brain inflammation: Evaluating molecules
Using large-scale computational screening, the team evaluated billions of potential molecules, prioritizing those predicted to be selective, brain-penetrant and active under biologically relevant conditions. Vsevolod “Seva” Katritch of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience developed the screening methods.
Once the team identified the top candidates, pharmacologist Stan Louie of the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences led the effort to formulate those compounds for administration in animal models and test their levels in the brain.
A cPLA2 inhibitor that reduced pathological cPLA2 activation in human brain cells exposed to Alzheimer’s-related stressors became the prime candidate.
In mouse models, the inhibitor penetrated the blood-brain barrier and modulated neuroinflammatory pathways. The study suggests that inhibiting cPLA2 could be a promising therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative diseases.
“Our goal is to find out whether targeting inflammation can alter Alzheimer’s risk — particularly in APOE4 carriers,” Yassine said. “This next phase focuses not on promises, but on carefully determining whether modulating this pathway is safe, feasible, and ultimately meaningful for human disease.”
In addition to Yassine, Louie and Katritch, the study was led by co-first authors Anastasiia V. Sadybekov, Marlon Vincent Duro and Shaowei Wang, all of USC. Other authors include Brandon Ebright, Dante Dikeman, Cristelle Hugo, Bilal Ersen Kerman, Qiu-Lan Ma, Antonina L. Nazarova, Arman A. Sadybekov and Isaac Asante, all of USC.
The research was supported with grants from the National Institute on Aging (U01AG094622, RF1AG076124, R01AG055770, R01AG067063, R01AG054434, R21AG056518, and P30AG066530); the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM147537); Department of Defense (W81XWH2110740), the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (GC-201711–2014197); USC CTSI KL2 (UL1 TR000004); and donations from the Vranos and Tiny Foundations and Lynne Nauss.
Yassine, Katritch and Louie are the founders of PeBRx, which is developing cPLA2 inhibitors. No other authors have any competing interests.