Mina Sedrak, MD, MS, FASCO

Titles and Affiliations

Associate Professor of Medicine
Director of the Cancer and Aging Program
David Geffen School of Medicine

Research Area

Reducing side effects of breast cancer treatments to improve survivors’ physical health and quality of life.

Impact

As breast cancer treatments improve, more women are surviving their diagnosis—but many face persistent side effects that can significantly affect their health and quality of life. One of the most concerning side effects of chemotherapy is accelerated aging. Survivors often experience early-onset and accelerated progression of fatigue, muscle loss, and reduced physical function, which can lead to falls, loss of independence, and poorer health outcomes. Dr. Sedrak aims to understand why this happens and to develop new ways to prevent or reverse it.

What’s Next

Dr. Sedrak is studying a natural compound called fisetin, found in fruits like strawberries, which may help clear damaged, aging cells from the body, improve muscle health, and reduce aging processes, like inflammation. Dr. Sedrak is currently leading a clinical trial testing whether fisetin can improve physical function and reduce markers of biological aging in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors who feel physically depleted after chemotherapy. Now, he will study how fisetin affects muscle and mitochondrial health—key drivers of strength, energy, and physical function. By identifying whether fisetin can reverse the effects of aging at the cellular level, he aims to develop new, biology-driven strategies to help cancer survivors not only live longer but live well.

Biography

Mina Sedrak, MD, MS, FASCO is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cancer and Aging Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He also co-leads the Cancer Control and Survivorship Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Sedrak specializes in caring for older adults with breast cancer and leads a translational research program that leverages the science of cancer and aging. His work focuses on developing gerotherapeutics that target fundamental aging processes to prevent, mitigate, or reverse the adverse age-related consequences of breast cancer treatment—such as functional decline and frailty—preserving health, function, and independence. He applies this work in both laboratory and clinical settings to inform evidence-based strategies that reduce the burden of accelerated aging in breast cancer patients and survivors.

He has designed and led therapeutic trials for older women with breast cancer, investigated barriers to the inclusion of older adults in research, and partnered with regulatory bodies, policymakers, and sponsors to expand trial participation among older and frail women—closing critical knowledge gaps in treating this highly understudied, rapidly growing, and high-risk population. His contributions have been recognized with the Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award from the National Institute on Aging and the Susan G. Komen Rising Star Researcher Award. He has also served in leadership roles, including Vice Chair of the Alliance Cancer in the Older Adult Committee, Co-Chair of Analytics in the Cancer and Aging Research Group, and Chair of ASCO’s Research Committee.