Because he was treating so many people with this rare condition, Steinberg began to collect Moyamoya-altered tissue, blood and cerebral fluid to conduct analysis that might lead to better understanding and treatment of the rare condition. Steinberg and his colleagues suspected the disease had a partial genetic basis, when they noticed that about 10 percent of Stanford’s patients had moyamoya in their families.

When technology finally allowed a genetic analysis of that material, Steinberg's research group discovered some novel genetic mutations that predispose to developing Moyamoya disease. His research continues, using that tissue bank, which dates back to 1995, to develop a deeper knowledge that could lead to more effective treatments, including non-surgical approaches.