https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Why can images of things we have seen seem so real when we later recall them from memory? A new study led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators sheds light on the answer. The research shows that the same brain neurons are activated when we imagine something and when we perceive something. The research, led by Cedars-Sinai, is the first to provide a detailed understanding of the shared mechanism that underlies visual perception and creation of mental images in the human brain. It was published in the journal Science. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-people-neurons.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:00:04 EDT news694962902 A large, long-term study led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators suggests that some medications commonly prescribed to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)—including antidepressants—may be associated with a small but measurable increase in the risk of death. The findings, published in Communications Medicine, are based on nearly two decades' worth of electronic health records from more than 650,000 U.S. adults with IBS, making it the largest real-world study to examine the long-term safety of IBS treatments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-common-ibs-treatments-linked-higher.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 05:00:04 EDT news694795261 Researchers at Cedars-Sinai have developed a fast, new technique for analyzing cells, described in the journal Angewandte Chemie. The approach, called single-injection multi-omics analysis by direct infusion (SMAD), can detect more than 1,300 proteins and more than 9,000 molecular features from a single sample in less than five minutes. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-method-rapidly-cell-proteins-metabolites.html Biochemistry Mon, 06 Apr 2026 22:40:01 EDT news694693305 Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators have identified a drug-like compound that prevents two proteins from working together to promote the growth of colorectal and liver cancer. Findings from the preclinical study were published in Cell Death & Disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-scientists-key-protein-duo-colon.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:10:01 EDT news694678182 Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators and colleagues created an algorithm designed to use data on sudden cardiac arrests to determine the best public locations for lifesaving devices called automated external defibrillators. Their findings were published in IJC Heart & Vasculature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-aed-algorithm-lifesaving-devices.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 13:40:03 EDT news694694469 Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators have for the first time created human intestinal organoids that include functional Paneth cells, a specialized cell type that is found in the inner lining of the intestine. This achievement, published in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, facilitates study of the cells' role in health and disease and opens new opportunities for understanding gastrointestinal disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-specialized-gut-cells.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:40:01 EDT news694693382 Cedars-Sinai investigators have identified distinct genetic variants associated with resistant hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that remains uncontrolled despite medication. Their findings, published in the journal Hypertension, suggest potential targets for diagnosing and treating this serious condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-genetic-drivers-resistant-hypertension.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:30:01 EDT news694693321 Older hospitalized patients who struggled with taking their medications correctly were 10% less likely to need to return to the hospital if they had a pharmacist's help at discharge, according to a new multisite clinical trial based at Cedars-Sinai. But the findings, published in JAMA Network Open, found the extra help didn't significantly reduce unplanned hospital visits for the rest of those 55 and older. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-hospital-discharge-day-trial-pharmacist.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:00:05 EDT news694684501 The heart's ability to use oxygen efficiently is a critical indicator of its health, but tests to measure this function have drawbacks that can limit their use. A new Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University study found that a new MRI system developed at Cedars-Sinai might overcome this challenge. The findings, published in Science Translational Medicine, could one day improve management of heart failure, in which the heart fails to pump enough blood to meet the body's need for blood and oxygen. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-mri-aid-early-heart-failure.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:05 EDT news693744361 The gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract—drives a process vital for protecting the colon against tissue injury, according to the findings of a study co-led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators. The discovery, published in Cell, has important implications for understanding how a wide variety of intestinal disorders may develop. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-gut-bacteria-colon-tissue.html Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:10:08 EDT news692376002 Cedars-Sinai investigators working to optimize a cell-based treatment for retinitis pigmentosa have uncovered how transplanted neural stem cells interact with host retinal cells to preserve vision. The findings, published in Nature Communications, may guide future research toward strategies to treat degenerative eye disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-transplanted-neural-stem-cells-vision.html Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:00:01 EST news692027561 Gastrointestinal cancer cases are expected to double worldwide by 2050, according to a multi-institutional study co-led by Cedars-Sinai. The projections, based on 2022 data and published in the journal Cancer, conclude that the biggest increases will be in pancreatic cancer diagnoses and colorectal cancer deaths. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-gi-cancers-experts.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 07:30:04 EST news691914781 A new tool co-developed by investigators from Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University can predict which of two available chemotherapy options for pancreatic cancer would be more effective for an individual patient. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-tool-pancreatic-cancer-treatment.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:00:02 EST news691842580 Although urinary tract infections (UTIs) are typically minor—albeit painful—health issues for most people, they can pose serious risks for older adults, particularly those with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. In older patients, a common UTI can trigger delirium, a medical emergency marked by sudden confusion and altered awareness. This condition can not only accelerate cognitive decline but is often mistaken for an underlying neurological condition—delaying proper diagnosis and treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-urinary-tract-infections-trigger-delirium.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Tue, 24 Feb 2026 07:12:25 EST news691139509 Senolytics—a class of drugs that reduce chronic inflammation and tissue damage in aging cells—are shown to eliminate 30% to 70% of "zombie" cells in the body. These zombie cells, known as senescent cells, stop dividing and don't die, ultimately contributing to a host of diseases of aging, including cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-preclinical-senolytics-zombie-cells.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:25:16 EST news689855042 Chlamydia pneumoniae—a common bacterium that causes pneumonia and sinus infections—can linger in the eye and brain for years and may aggravate Alzheimer's disease, according to a study from Cedars-Sinai. Published in Nature Communications, the discovery suggests this bacterium can amplify Alzheimer's disease and points to potential interventions including inflammation-limiting therapies and early antibiotic treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-common-bacteria-eye-linked-cognitive.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:18:05 EST news689249821 New scientific methods could one day render animal studies—the standard in research laboratories for more than 100 years—obsolete. Clive Svendsen, Ph.D., executive director of the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute at Cedars-Sinai, is helping to pioneer New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), which are beginning to change research practices. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-stem-cell-expert-qa-pathways.html Medical research Tue, 13 Jan 2026 06:33:04 EST news687508321 Cedars-Sinai investigators have discovered a healing mechanism that could one day be harnessed to help treat patients with spinal cord injuries, stroke, and neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis. Their study, published in Nature, describes a previously unknown function of astrocytes, a type of cell in the central nervous system. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-astrocytes-aid-spinal-cord-immune.html Neuroscience Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:00:16 EST news685101061 Cedars-Sinai investigators, leading a multi-institutional team, have developed and validated a tool to predict which patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) need closer monitoring because their cancer is more likely to recur. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-score-pancreatic-cancer-recurrence.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:00:14 EST news685187641 An unusually high number of people developed a heart attack, lung complication or general illness within 90 days after the start of the January 2025 fires in Los Angeles, a new study from Cedars-Sinai reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-medics-heart-general-illness-spiked.html Health Wed, 17 Dec 2025 10:00:03 EST news685100882 Cedars-Sinai investigators worked with a multi-institutional team to develop a new artificial intelligence framework that can accurately, quickly and efficiently create virtual models of brain neurons. The achievement could accelerate discoveries in brain function research and ultimately lead to better treatments for brain disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-ai-framework-brain-neuron.html Neuroscience Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:25:31 EST news684415502 A new AI tool can rapidly evaluate data from echocardiography, an imaging test commonly used to diagnose heart disease, according to new research led by Cedars-Sinai. The study, published in JACC, found the tool could speed up the testing process and yield more uniform results. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-ai-tool-heart.html Cardiology Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:26:42 EST news684404761 Prevention and treatment advances are reducing the number of new liver cancer patients and narrowing survival gaps among racial groups, a Cedars-Sinai Cancer study published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-liver-cancer-treatment-efforts.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:24:41 EST news684404642 Cedars-Sinai scientists have developed an experimental drug that repairs DNA and serves as a prototype for a new class of medications that fix tissue damage caused by heart attack, inflammatory disease or other conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-experimental-drug-dna-common-diseases.html Medications Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:00:08 EST news683908561 Cedars-Sinai investigators may have figured out why certain immunosuppressive treatments don't work well in rheumatoid arthritis. In a study published in Science Immunology, scientists trace the problem to specific changes that occur in immune cells within the joints as the disease progresses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-arthritis-drugs-dont-rheumatoid.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Wed, 26 Nov 2025 08:56:04 EST news683369762 Investigators from the Center for Advanced Gerotherapeutics at Cedars-Sinai found that aged blood vessel cells play a key role in the development of metabolic disorders, including diabetes. The preclinical findings, published in Cell Metabolism, could lead to new treatments for these complex disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-aged-blood-vessel-cells-metabolic.html Gerontology & Geriatrics Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:00:04 EST news682772221 A new Cedars-Sinai Cancer study shows that patients with advanced liver cancer who receive immunotherapy to shrink their tumors have improved outcomes after liver transplant or tumor removal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-surgery-immunotherapy-boosts-survival-liver.html Immunology Fri, 14 Nov 2025 05:58:03 EST news682322281 Black men choose aggressive prostate cancer treatment—regardless of anticipated life expectancy—more often than Hispanic or Caucasian men, according to new research by Cedars-Sinai investigators published in the journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-racial-differences-prostate-cancer-treatment.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:51:03 EST news681987062 There are limits in applying AI to images of the heart, according to a new study from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai published in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-highlights-ai-limits-heart.html Cardiology Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:47:03 EST news681986822 A Cedars-Sinai study helps explain why half of diabetes patients experience deterioration of the cornea, the transparent dome-shaped outer layer of the eye that provides protection and focuses incoming light. The findings, published in Diabetologia, point to a potential target for therapies to protect vision in these patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-diabetic-corneal-disease.html Diabetes Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:45:03 EST news681986702