The Weiner Research Lab
"Deliver the right cancer treatment to the right patient at the right dose and the right time."
Schwartzberg et al., 2017 ASCO Educational Book
Merging patient data with highly annotated genomics to individualize cancer care
Prostate cancer outcomes vary enormously, both because tumors differ and because access to the right treatment is unequal. The Weiner Research Lab pursues research that addresses both forces at once: the molecular biology that drives a particular cancer's behavior, and the structural factors that determine who gets the right treatment in time.
The lab works across imaging biomarkers, tumor genomics, focal therapy outcomes, and disparities research. Findings have appeared in European Urology, JAMA, Nature Communications, Cancer, and JCO Precision Oncology.
Lab at a glance
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
- Adjunct UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
- Active CDMRP physician research funding
- PCF Young Investigator, Movember TrueNTH Fellow
- Trainees from medical, graduate, and undergraduate programs
- Open to collaboration and trainee inquiries
What we study
Intersecting research programs aimed at a single question: how do we get every man with prostate cancer the right care at the right time?
PSMA & molecular imaging
Funded in part by the Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, our work on the molecular correlates of prostate-specific membrane antigen helps explain who responds to PSMA-targeted imaging and therapy and who does not.
Focal therapy biomarkers
Genomic predictors that identify which men are best suited for HIFU and other focal approaches, so the right patients get less invasive treatment and the wrong ones do not.
Prostate cancer disparities
Why outcomes differ across racial and socioeconomic groups, including immune microenvironment differences, access to advanced imaging, and adherence to quality metrics globally.
Decision science
Patient-reported outcomes, prediction models for treatment regret, and tools that help patients and physicians make confident decisions when options look similar on paper.
Recurrence risk stratification
Defining who needs intensified therapy after surgery or radiation and who can be safely observed, drawing on systematic reviews and large international datasets.
Quality of care
International variation in adherence to evidence-based prostate cancer quality metrics, and how to close gaps where they exist.
The people behind the work
Lab roster, summer 2026.
Adam B. Weiner, MD
Principal Investigator
Jiyoun Seo, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Pranav Movva, BS
Research Associate
Camille Motchoffo Simo, BS
Intern
Daniel Vega
Intern
Selected publications
The lab has contributed more than 80 peer-reviewed articles. Selected highlights below; the full list is on PubMed.
Tumor-specific lncRNA IGF1R-AS1 trans-regulates chromatin interactions associated with oncogenic MYC signaling →
Nature Communications · 2026
Genomic Biomarker for Prostate Cancer Focal Therapy: Post Hoc Assessment of a Phase II Clinical Trial →
JCO Precision Oncology · 2025
Neoadjuvant Antiandrogen Therapy With or Without MEK or SRC Inhibition for Unfavorable-risk Prostate Cancer: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial →
European Urology Oncology · 2025
Predicting Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Treatment for Localized Prostate Cancer →
Clinical Genitourinary Cancer · 2026
Identifying cribriform and intraductal histology on MRI-assisted biopsy for patients with intermediate-grade prostate cancer →
Cancer · 2025
Molecular Hallmarks of Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen in Treatment-naive Prostate Cancer →
European Urology · 2024
Risk Stratification of Patients with Recurrence After Primary Treatment for Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review →
European Urology · 2024
International Variations in Adherence to Quality Metrics for Locoregional Prostate Cancer →
European Urology Oncology · 2024
Plasma cells are enriched in localized prostate cancer in Black men and are associated with improved outcomes →
Nature Communications · 2021
Trials & studies
Cedars-Sinai is a major prostate cancer research center, and Dr. Weiner's patients have access to a broad portfolio of trials. Active studies span active surveillance optimization, novel imaging, focal therapy, and management of advanced disease.
Patients interested in trial participation: please mention it at your consultation. Researchers interested in collaboration: email Pranav.Movva@cshs.org.
Join the lab
Postdocs, residents, medical students, and undergraduates are welcome. Trainees work on prostate cancer genomics, PSMA molecular imaging, focal therapy biomarkers, decision science, or disparities research, and most leave with first-author publications.
To apply, email Pranav.Movva@cshs.org with your CV and a paragraph about why this lab. Rolling admissions; we respond within one business day.
How the lab is supported
Active competitive grants from the field's leading funders, alongside institutional and philanthropic support.
FoundationYoung Investigator Award · 2023
FoundationTrueNTH Global Registry · 2025
Cancer CenterDonna and Jesse Garber Award · 2026
FoundationResearch Award · 2022
donorsPhilanthropic gifts · 2024–2025
Research runs on philanthropy
Federal grants take years to land and rarely cover the riskiest, earliest-stage ideas, the ones most likely to shift the field. Philanthropy fills that gap. A gift of any size accelerates the work.