Research and Clinical Scholarship

Research in the Department of Surgery both matches and supports the department's clinical efforts by focusing on interdisciplinary and translational work.

A number of our independent surgical laboratories are described below:

Minimally Invasive Surgical Technology Institute (Daniel L. Farkas, PhD--Director)
The Institute (MISTI) consists of a scientific research team, a pre-clinical facility and a clinical assessment group, working together on the development and testing of noninvasive technologies and their introduction into everyday surgical practice. Technologically, it combines (a) state-of-the-art commercially available instrumentation for spectroscopy and imaging; (b) MISTI-developed optical instruments, optimized for spectral and in vivo imaging, from the microscopic to the macroscopic dimensional range; (c) significant expertise in the use of the former and the design, implementation and application of the latter; (d) clinical research experience. The imaging modalities represented form a continuum, from fluorescence, confocal and multiphoton microscopy to macroscopic multimode digital imaging, most importantly adding capabilities not available elsewhere in CSMC (spectral and lifetime imaging, Optical Coherence Tomography, Raman), or indeed anywhere (3-D digital optical goniometry, in vivo blood oxygenation imaging, hyperspectral imaging elastic scattering endoscopy, heterodyned fluorescence tomography). The Institute is the focal point for transfer of existing tools and knowledge among specialties, and for collaborative translational research. Its thematic thrust areas are pursued in six closely linked laboratories (1) Advanced Endoscopy and Robotics; (2) Biophotonics; (3) Surgical Spectroscopy; (4) Cancer Imaging; (5) Stem Cell Imaging and (6) OR of the Future.

The Cardiothoracic Surgery Laboratory (Kevin Burton, PhD--Director)
The basic research program of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery is focused on research into cardiomyopathies and related disorders of the heart and their treatment modalities, including heart transplants, bioprosthetic valves and stem-cell therapies. These problems are approached using modern cell biological and physiological methods such as optical imaging and bioengineering assays of cellular changes related to disease and treatment, including differentiation of cardiac stem and progenitor cells.

The Pediatric Surgery Laboratory (Philip Frykman, MD, PhD-- Director)
The initial focus of the Pediatric Surgery Laboratory is on Hirschsprung's Disease (HD), a genetic disorder causing severe constipation in newborns, affecting one in 5000 live births. Current therapy employs minimally invasive surgery to remove the affected bowel (usually colon) in infancy, re-establishing normal stooling in most children. The most common complication of HD is Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC), a severe infection of the large and small intestine affecting up to 30% of patients with HD, even after corrective surgery to remove the abnormal bowel. The cause of HAEC is unknown; it results in frequent hospital admissions and, in advanced cases, even death. The goal of the lab is to develop an animal model of HAEC after surgical resection to more accurately recapitulate the human disease, study the causative factors of HAEC, and serve as a preclinical model to test novel therapies.

The Ophthalmology Research Laboratories (Alexander V. Ljubimov, PhD--Director)

The Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Ophthalmology Research Laboratories (ORL) consists of two units, the Diabetic Eye Disease Laboratory and the Center for Viral Immunology and Vaccine Development. Directed by Dr. Alexander V. Ljubimov, the Diabetic Eye Disease Laboratory is studying corneal and retinal abnormalities in diabetes mellitus. Ocular diabetes research is focused on elucidating molecular mechanisms of diabetic alterations using the comprehensive approach to ocular changes in diabetes to study both the retina and the cornea. Gene therapy and gene silencing approaches, as well as modulation of vascular stem cells, are used. The Center for Viral Immunology and Vaccine Development, directed by Dr. Homayon Ghiasi, Ph.D., is focused on ocular and systemic immune responses to Herpes virus. The Center's main research goals are to nravel the effects of Herpes virus infection on the body's immune response using methods of immunology and molecular biology; and, determine its role in the development of ocular herpetic disease and nerve demyelination.

The Transplant Immunobiology Research Laboratory (Gordon Wu, PhD--Director)
The Transplant Immunobiology Laboratory (TIL) is the research arm of the Comprehensive Transplant Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, whose mission is to:

  • Conduct innovative research in the field of transplant biology and immunology
  • Provide transplant professionals with state-of-the-art research facilities, technologies and assistance
  • Bring together scientists and clinicians to exchange information and insights to new directions in future transplant research
  • Promote multidisciplinary collaborations in our research community
Current studies being conducted include increasing understanding of the pathogenesis of allograft fibrosis, examining the role of Kupffer Cells in the recruitment of extra hepatic progenitors of fibroblasts during the development of hepatic cirrhosis, and exploring cellular and molecular mechanisms governing B cell production of alloantibodies (which can affect acute humoral rejection).

In addition to our surgical laboratories, our researchers also have access to the Core Support Facilities of CSMC. These include: