
Sleep & circadian researcher, PhD, Medical doctor. @NorthwesternU & Associate Professor (docent) @UU_University in medical cell biology. Dance aficionado
Joined June 2012
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🧵(1/7) Proud that our new study is finally out after years of work! 🎉
Did you know even short-term #sleep loss 💤 can result in a molecular fingerprint linked to increased future #cardiovascular disease risk? 🫀 ❤️🩹 biomarkerres.biomedcentral.c…
Also timing & #exercise 🏃♂️ matter ->
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Alex is one of today's most important statistical geneticists.
I highly recommend donating to help him stay alive and continue his work.
In March 2024, at the age of 35, I was diagnosed with stage IV rectal cancer with a metastasis in my liver. This was a shock: I had no family history, and none of the doctors suspected it. After two years of chemotherapy, radiation, and multiple surgeries, I'm still not cured. Now I'm asking for help to get a personalized cancer vaccine.
This is my story so far.
Following diagnosis, I was treated with total neoadjuvant therapy at UCLA. I had 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy (Xeloda). This was followed by 6 rounds of oxaliplatin infusions and Xeloda. I tolerated this unusually well. During this period, I managed to hike up to over 11,000ft multiple times in the Sierras, and I wrote the main text of a 72 author meta-analysis paper and submitted it to Nature where it is still in review.
I showed a good clinical response, and at the end of October I had surgery: I was under for 9 hours, and they cut out a bit of my rectum, 1/3rd of my liver, and gave me a temporary ileostomy. Waking up from this was probably the strangest experience of my life: I felt more machine than man, and I had wild hallucinations form such a large dose of anesthesia.
It took a while to feel OK after that surgery. However, I still had the ostomy. I had that reversed at the end of January in another surgery, which took a greater toll on me than I expected.
I only just started to feel OK again and I got bad news: I got a positive circulating tumor DNA test (ctDNA), the signatera test from natera. Unfortunately, the ctDNA carried on rising, and in July 2025 a new lesion appeared in a lymph node near my liver (periportal).
I was treated with irinotecan and panitumumab infusions, which showed a good response, followed by live MRI guided SBRT radiation treatment to the lesion. However, after finishing this treatment, the ctDNA remained positive and began rising again. I restarted irinotecan and panitumumab infusions, which brought ctDNA back to negative (signatera), although it remained positive on the more sensitive Personalis assay.
During this period I had begun to develop stomach pain and digestive symptoms. Then I collapsed vomiting blood while out in Santa Monica and was rushed to the ER. They found out I had a duodenal ulcer that had bled. I had some blood transfused, and I was sent home to complete an intensive course of antibiotics for H. Pylori infection.
However, after about a week, I started to get very weak. I collapsed again and went back to the ER in an ambulance. They found my hemoglobin was 5g/dL, a dangerously low level (normal is over 13.5). Multiple blood transfusions didn't bring it up and I collapsed again in the night after passing a large amount of blood. They took me to intensive care and performed an emergency endoscopy where they clipped and sprayed the ulcer. Thankfully this worked and I was discharged after another 3 nights in hospital.
Unsurprisingly, nearly bleeding to death wasn't good for me, and my ctDNA began to spike rapidly. I had a PET-CT and it revealed 3 new disease sites in abdominal lymph nodes. I restarted irinotecan and panitumumab infusions after barely recovering from the ulcer incident. This showed an excellent response, with the sites resolving on imaging, although ctDNA remained positive.
I've now started bot/bal immunotherapy, a not yet approved immunotherapy treatment that is the first of its kind to show strong results in my kind of cancer, micro-satellite stable colorectal cancer. This was possible thanks to a donation from an anonymous benefactor and supporter of free and open inquiry in science.
Hopefully this treatment will be effective, but it is unlikely to be enough on its own to prevent future disease recurrence.
I am asking for help to get a personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine, which could substantially increase my chances of surviving this deadly disease that is likely incurable under standard care.
While cancer vaccines have shown promising results, they are not yet approved, meaning one has to pay for the design, manufacture, and administration of the vaccine. The total cost of which is $104,133, beyond my means or those of my family.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I've started a GoFundMe here: gofundme.com/f/cancer-vaccin…. Please donate and share with anyone who might be interested in helping.
I've carried on working throughout this period and I'm still running a research group in statistical genetics at UCLA. I'm hoping to continue making contributions to science for as long as I can, hopefully longer with your help.
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
I’m excited to share a preprint of my first, first-author research from my PhD! Big thanks to my PIs @greenlab_utsw & @CircadianClocks & all the collaborators that helped with this project!! #NADH #cortisol #circadian
biorxiv.org/content/10.64898…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
this is "spike mongering"
endocrinologists refer to post-meal rises as Glc excursions, not as Glc spikes
return to normal indicates good insulin sensitivity
there's substantial interindividual variability among nondiabetics--modest rises after nutrient-dense foods (e.g., fruit w fiber) or going to the gym are benign & not equivalent to refined-carb loads
CGM in healthy ppl carries real behavioral risks including anxiety, data obsession & dietary patterns in which ppl unnecessarily restrict fruits/whole carbs or fear exercise-induced glycogen responses, medicalizing normal physiology without proven net benefit
I used to think a banana was just a banana.
Same fruit. Same sugar. Same result for everyone.
I was wrong.
I started wearing a continuous glucose monitor and watched my glucose spike to 160 after eating a single banana. My training partner ate the same banana at the same time. His glucose barely touched 120.
Same food. Same amount. Completely different response.
That's when I realized: nutrition advice that treats everyone the same is broken at the foundation. And the reason is written in your DNA.
Here's what I found.
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Thank you @AASMorg for motivating congress to make Standard Time permanent! @SaveStandard @SRBR_Outreach #circadian #DST #locktheclock aasm.org/aasm-sunshine-kids-…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Today's sleep quality tracking relies on movement algorithms. Published today @ScienceAdvances is a wearable patch that tracks the flow of glymphatics via brain water dynamics science.org/doi/10.1126/scia…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Update: NIH now exempts Basic Experimental Studies in Humans from clinical trial classification. With @proferikrichter we made this case in 2024 (+ support of 95 colleagues) — mechanistic human studies are not clinical trials! Journals & WHO should follow rdcu.be/fr91V
Tips for how to not wreck your #sleep and still be able to enjoy the World cup soccer games from European time zones
@SvD
svd.se/a/ArEXBj/somnforskare…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Online now!✨Iiams, Skinner et al explore the effect of early-onset, lifelong time-restricted feeding in >500 male and female mice, and report extended healthspan in male and female mice, and extended lifespan in male mice @SamIiamsClever @CircadianClocks nature.com/articles/s43587-0…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
A study published last month in #JBR shows that humans exhibit seasonal changes in sleep, oxygen levels, and respiratory indices. Environmental rhythms and human biology are tightly linked!
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Ingen borde bli överraskad av det här. Tyvärr är det dock många som tror att det Huberman förmedlar är etablerad vetenskap.
Dr Andrew Huberman gets Fact-checked by MD PhD Doctor - YouTube youtube.com/watch?v=gdWomh5_…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
In a randomized trial of a PCSK9 inhibitor [for LDL cholesterol lowering] vs placebo for patients with diabetes and no known heart disease, there was significant reduction of major cardiovascular events including deaths
#ACC26 @JAMA_current
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Our collaboration with Dr. Lisa Chow and her team found that TRE (without dietary advice) produced similar outcomes in food and nutrient intake as instructed caloric restriction. sciencedirect.com/science/ar…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Joseph T. Bass, MD, PhD, joins the Mind & Matter podcast with Host Nick Jikomes to discuss circadian clock mutations and disruptions, hormone rhythms, and weight management.
Listen to the full episode: rss.buzzsprout.com/1535644.r…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Our new study in @NatureComms with Applied Cognition used computational + PK modeling and a 2‑site crossover clinical study to show that during sleep, glymphatic clearance - not synaptic release - drives overnight changes in plasma Aβ and tau in people.
nature.com/articles/s41467-0…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Thank you to Drs @JCedernaes, Bettina Sielaff & Christian Benedict for an aptly named and excellently written Editorial summarizing and contextualizing the study: Time to regularize sleep regularity
academic.oup.com/sleep/advan…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
The Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) is a strong predictor of health & disease
In SLEEP, we report:
➤📈SRI use
➤>50% non-disclosure of SRI methods
➤Two calculators produced discrepant SRIs
Introducing the Reporting Items for Regularity Indices (RIRI)🧵
academic.oup.com/sleep/advan…
Congratulations Joe, @JoeBass91471540!! Incredibly well deserved - you're such an amazing scientist, inspiration and mentor.
This is a great recognition for all the pioneering work that Dr. Bass has done in the field of #circadian biology, metabolism and endocrinology.
We are delighted to celebrate the election of our esteemed colleague, Dr. Joe Bass, @JoeBass91471540 to the @theNAMedicine. This honor recognizes his outstanding contributions to the field of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, and his pioneering research elucidating the critical links between the body’s circadian rhythms and metabolic regulation. Dr. Bass’s groundbreaking work has revealed how disruptions in the circadian system contribute to metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. This election represents a well-deserved and long-overdue recognition of Dr. Bass’s exceptional scientific achievements and his profound impact on the field. Congratulations, Joe, on this remarkable and richly merited honor. @NU_BMG_SQE @NUFeinbergMed @theNASciences
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
We are delighted to celebrate the election of our esteemed colleague, Dr. Joe Bass, @JoeBass91471540 to the @theNAMedicine. This honor recognizes his outstanding contributions to the field of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, and his pioneering research elucidating the critical links between the body’s circadian rhythms and metabolic regulation. Dr. Bass’s groundbreaking work has revealed how disruptions in the circadian system contribute to metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. This election represents a well-deserved and long-overdue recognition of Dr. Bass’s exceptional scientific achievements and his profound impact on the field. Congratulations, Joe, on this remarkable and richly merited honor. @NU_BMG_SQE @NUFeinbergMed @theNASciences
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
Light at night and heart disease! Published today in JAMA Network Open. We found that those with the brightest nights had higher risks of coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam…
Jonathan Cedernaes retweeted
This is great news for the U.S.! While we support abolishment of the biannual switching of the clocks, permanent Standard Time is the better option for our sleep😴, health ⚕️, and even for the safety of our children on the way to school in the mornings 🚍

































