Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University and Caltech have announced a partnership aimed at fostering scientific collaboration and innovation in healthcare. The alliance is designed to promote research, education, and joint academic activities that leverage the strengths of both institutions.
Peter L. Slavin, MD, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Health System, said, “This new academic alliance between these premier Los Angeles institutions will advance scientific and academic achievements for the broader Los Angeles community and beyond.”
The collaboration includes joint translational discovery grants, shared symposia, training opportunities, as well as joint student and faculty appointments. Caltech Provost David A. Tirrell commented on the potential impact: “Our partnership with Cedars-Sinai provides an important new pathway to clinical impact.”
Shlomo Melmed, MB, ChB, executive vice president of Medicine and Health Sciences at Cedars-Sinai, stated that the partnership aims to reshape patient care and deepen biological understanding. “Recognizing the unique strengths of each institution, we feel confident this partnership will benefit the greater field of science,” Melmed said.
Cedars-Sinai offers a broad base in basic, translational and clinical sciences supported by a diverse patient population and a growing biospecimen repository. Caltech contributes expertise in engineering, computational modeling, chemistry, quantitative biosciences, as well as advanced research in molecular biology.
Viviana Gradinaru of Caltech highlighted the combined strengths: “Better healthcare for all requires bold innovation. This partnership brings together Cedars-Sinai’s clinical leadership and Caltech’s scientific excellence to deliver it.”
The official partnership follows years of informal collaboration between faculty from both organizations. Ueli Rutishauser has held appointments at both institutions; these connections helped pave the way for expanded cooperation.
Ophir Klein recognized further opportunities when he joined Cedars-Sinai in 2022. He initiated co-hosted programs that led to increased engagement between researchers at both organizations.
In 2024 and 2025, two joint symposia were held focusing on developmental biology and neuroscience respectively—events that encouraged further collaboration among participants.
Klein said about these gatherings: “The opportunity to engage regularly through these events will lead to a more profound partnership between the two institutions and deeper connections among faculty and trainees. There’s a unique energy in the room when two complementary forces have a shared desire for the best in science and accelerated application.”
A pilot grant program is also being launched as part of this initiative; up to four recipients will receive support for one-year projects with possible extension into a second year. Funding will be divided between researchers from each institution.
Jeffrey A. Golden emphasized interdisciplinary goals: “We are eager to stimulate interdisciplinary collaborations that support research and integrate biomedical, clinical, computational and engineering approaches… Leveraging the scientific and technological ecosystems of both institutions will help advance the broader research landscape and bring advances in healthcare to individuals in our community and beyond.”
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center was established in 1902 in Los Angeles. As noted by its annual report from 2022,the hospital admitted over 50,000 patients during that year.
