Contact information
Collaborators
Head, Department of Oncology
Professor of Cancer Medicine, RDM
Professor of Cancer Genetics
Honorary Clinical Researcher
Associate Professor, NDPCH
Yoshiaki Nakamura
Royal Society Wolfson Visiting Fellow
Biography
Dr Yoshiaki Nakamura trained in Medicine at Osaka University and obtained his PhD from Keio University. His clinical and research interests focus on gastrointestinal cancer, liquid biopsy, precision oncology, and early cancer detection. He has led multiple nationwide studies, including SCRUM-Japan and CIRCULATE-Japan, pioneering the clinical use of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) for precision medicine and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. Dr Nakamura has served as Principal Investigator on numerous clinical and translational trials that contributed to new drug and companion diagnostic approvals in Japan.
Research Summary
Dr Nakamura’s research focuses on translating liquid biopsy technologies into clinical practice for precision oncology and early cancer detection. His work integrates circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) analysis for minimal residual disease (MRD) and multi-cancer early detection (MCED) with artificial intelligence-driven histopathological and genomic modelling. Dr Nakamura aims to build large-scale, data-driven frameworks that bridge clinical trials, molecular profiling, and digital health innovation.
Key publications
Targeted therapy guided by circulating tumor DNA analysis in advanced gastrointestinal tumors.
Journal article
Nakamura Y. et al, (2025), Nat Med, 31, 165 - 175
ctDNA-based molecular residual disease and survival in resectable colorectal cancer.
Journal article
Nakamura Y. et al, (2024), Nat Med, 30, 3272 - 3283
Tucatinib and Trastuzumab for Previously Treated Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Metastatic Biliary Tract Cancer (SGNTUC-019): A Phase II Basket Study.
Journal article
Nakamura Y. et al, (2023), J Clin Oncol, 41, 5569 - 5578
Clinical utility of circulating tumor DNA sequencing in advanced gastrointestinal cancer: SCRUM-Japan GI-SCREEN and GOZILA studies.
Journal article
Nakamura Y. et al, (2020), Nat Med, 26, 1859 - 1864
Recent publications
Identification of a Novel GOLGB1-RET Fusion in Papillary Thyroid Cancer With a Durable Response to Selpercatinib.
Journal article
Boku S. et al, (2026), JCO precision oncology, 10
Cell-Free DNA Analysis With Clinicopathologic Factors for Early Detection and Refining Lymph Node Metastasis Risk in T1 Colorectal Cancer: Results From the COSMOS-CRC Study.
Journal article
Murano T. et al, (2026), JCO precision oncology, 10
Supplementary Table 4 from The SCRUM-MONSTAR Cancer-Omics Ecosystem: Striving for a Quantum Leap in Precision Medicine
Other
Hashimoto T. et al, (2026)






