Our objective

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
  • $1.2M+ active CDMRP physician research funding
  • PCF Young Investigator, Movember TrueNTH Fellow
  • Trainees from medical, graduate, and undergraduate programs
  • Open to collaboration and trainee inquiries

Contact the lab

Focus areas

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?

01

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.

02

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.

03

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.

04

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.

05

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.

06

Quality of care

International variation in adherence to evidence-based prostate cancer quality metrics, and how to close gaps where they exist.

Team

The people behind the work

Lab roster, summer 2025.

Adam B. Weiner, MD

Adam B. Weiner, MD

Principal Investigator

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Jiyoun Seo, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Pranav Movva, BS

Research Associate

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Camille Motchoffo Simo, BS

Intern

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Daniel Vega

Intern

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Bohang “Andy” Shou

Intern

Publications

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

Unseen Scars

JAMA · 2025

Narrative essay on balancing family and career in surgical oncology.

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

A novel prostate cancer subtyping classifier based on luminal and basal phenotypes

Cancer · 2023

Plasma cells are enriched in localized prostate cancer in Black men and are associated with improved outcomes

Nature Communications · 2021

Robotic-Assisted vs Laparoscopic Radical Nephrectomy

JAMA · 2018

Full publication list on PubMed → Google Scholar profile →

Clinical trials

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.

If you are a patient interested in clinical trial participation, please mention this at your consultation. If you are a researcher interested in collaboration, please contact the lab.

Funding

How the lab is supported

Active competitive grants from the field's leading funders, alongside institutional and philanthropic support.

Prostate Cancer
Foundation
Young Investigator Award · 2023
Movember
Foundation
TrueNTH Global Registry · 2025
Department of DefenseCDMRP Physician Research Award · 2024–2028
Cedars-Sinai
Cancer Center
Donna and Jesse Garber Award · 2026
Simon-Strauss
Foundation
Research Award · 2022

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.

Support the research