Ryotaro Nakamura, M.D.
Since joining City of Hope in 2002, Ryotaro Nakamura, M.D., has been at the forefront of leading-edge research in stem cell transplantation with a focus on immune reconstitution and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). His clinical and research expertise extend to leukemia and bone marrow failure syndrome including aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and other rare diseases such as paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and large granular lymphocyte (LGL) disease. Among his promising projects: Development of vaccines against cytomegalovirus (CMV) and COVID-19 for transplant recipients, novel immunotherapy with bi-specific CMV-CD19CAR T cells, new therapy/prevention of GVHD using microbiome-directed therapy. Furthermore, he has led a national study of older adults with MDS to compare survival according to the donor availability and define the role of stem cell transplantation for this group of patients (NCT 02016781).
Dr. Nakamura’s leadership in the transplant/cellular therapy research and clinical practice community have earned him appointments as Co-Chair of the Chronic Leukemia Working Committee of the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research, Steering Committee member for the Blood and Marrow Transplantation Clinical Trials Network, and Director, Community or Clinical Practice of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
Location
Duarte Cancer Center
Duarte, CA 91010
Education & Experience
1991, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, M.D.
1998-2001, Fellow, Hematology/Oncology, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
1995-1998, Resident, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
1993-1994, Resident and Chief Resident (1994) in Internal Medicine, Iizuka Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
1991-1993, Resident, Kumamoto University Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan
- 2024-2027, Director of Community or Clinical Practice, American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
- 2002-current, Staff physician, Division of Hematology/Bone Marrow Transplantation, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California
- 2004-2009, Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology/Bone Marrow Transplantation
- 2008-current, Associate Chair, Cancer Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee
- 2009-current, Associate Professor, Department of Hematology/HCT
- 2011-current, Member, Hematologic Malignancies program, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
- 2016-current, Director, HCT Center of City of Hope Hematologic Malignancies Institute
- 2018-2019, Member, Enterprise Initiative Committee (EIC), City of Hope
- 2019- current, Professor, Department of Hematology/Hematopoietic Cell transplantation
- 2021- current, Chair, HCT Quality Management Council
Awards & Memberships
Awards
The 2021 Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meeting, Best Abstract Award: A Multi-Center Biologic Assignment Trial Comparing Reduced Intensity Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation to Hypomethylating Therapy or Best Supportive Care in Patients Aged 50-75 with Advanced Myelodysplastic Syndrome Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network Study 1102
Hope Colleague Award 2021 (City of Hope)2008-2009, Recipient, Tim Nesvig Lymphoma Fellowship Award
2000, Fellows Travel Award for the 10th Annual Mayo Clinic Jacksonville Hematology/Oncology Reviews. Intensive immunosuppression with high-dose cyclophosphamide and autologous CD34+ selected hematopoietic cell support for treatment of chronic refractory autoimmune thrombocytopenia: Jacksonville, Florida
Memberships
2019-present, Co-Chair, CIBMTR Chronic Leukemia Working Committee
2019-present, Member, NCI Lymphoma Steering Committee (BMT CTN representative)
2019-present, Member, NCCN HCT Committee
2020-present, NIH-Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) reviewer, ZRG1 IMM-H(02)M
2019-present, Member, NCCN HCT Committee
American Medical Association
American Society of Hematology
American College of Physicians
Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Publications
- Versluis J, Saber W, Tsai HK, Gibson CJ, Dillon LW, Mishra A, McGuirk J, Maziarz RT, Westervelt P, Hegde P, Mukherjee D, Martens MJ, Logan B, Horowitz M, Hourigan CS, Nakamura R, Cutler C, Lindsley RC; Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network. Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Improves Outcome in Myelodysplastic Syndrome Across High-Risk Genetic Subgroups: Genetic Analysis of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network 1102 Study. J Clin Oncol. 2023 Aug 22:JCO2300866. doi: 10.1200/JCO.23.00866. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37607457.
- Aribi A, Salhotra A, Afkhami M, Munteanu A, Ali H, Aldoss I, Otoukesh S, Al Malki MM, Sandhu KS, Koller P, Arslan S, Stewart F, Artz A, Curtin P, Ball B, O'Hearn J, Spielberger R, Smith E, Budde E, Nakamura R, Stein A, Forman S, Marcucci G, Becker PS, Pullarkat V.WT1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia is sensitive to fludarabine-based chemotherapy and conditioning regimens. Leuk Lymphoma. 2023 Aug 3:1-11. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2023.2241096. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37533373.
- Mei M, Palmer J, Tsai NN, Simpson J, O'Hearn J, Stein A, Forman S, Spielberger R, Cai JL, Htut M, Nakamura R, Al Malki MM, Herrera A, Wong J, Nademanee A. Results of a Phase II Trial of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Using90Y-Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin) in Combination With Fludarabine and Melphalan in Patients With High-Risk B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2023 Sep;23(9):e268-e276. doi: 10.1016/j.clml.2023.05.011. Epub 2023 May 23. PMID: 37301631.
- Mei M, Palmer J, Tsai NN, Simpson J, O'Hearn J, Stein A, Forman S, Spielberger R, Cai JL, Htut M, Nakamura R, Al Malki MM, Herrera A, Wong J, Nademanee A. Results of a Phase II Trial of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Using90Y-Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin) in Combination With Fludarabine and Melphalan in Patients With High-Risk B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2023 Sep;23(9):e268-e276. doi: 10.1016/j.clml.2023.05.011. Epub 2023 May 23. PMID: 37301631.
- Al Malki MM, London K, Baez J, Akahoshi Y, Hogan WJ, Etra A, Choe H, Hexner E, Langston A, Abhyankar S, Ponce DM, DeFilipp Z, Kitko CL, Adekola K, Reshef R, Ayuk F, Capellini A, Chanswangphuwana C, Eder M, Eng G, Gandhi I, Grupp S, Gleich S, Holler E, Javorniczky NR, Kasikis S, Kowalyk S, Morales G, Özbek U, Rösler W, Spyrou N, Yanik G, Young R, Chen YB, Nakamura R, Ferrara JLM, Levine JE. Phase 2 study of natalizumab plus standard corticosteroid treatment for high-risk acute graft-versus-host disease. Blood Adv. 2023 Sep 12;7(17):5189-5198. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023009853. PMID: 37235690; PMCID: PMC10505783.
- Yao JM, Otoukesh S, Kim H, Yang D, Mokhtari S, Samara Y, Blackmon A, Arslan S, Agrawal V, Pourhassan H, Amanam I, Ball B, Koller P, Salhotra A, Becker P, Curtin P, Artz A, Aldoss I, Ali H, Stewart F, Smith E, Stein A, Marcucci G, Forman SJ, Nakamura R, Al Malki MM. Tocilizumab for Cytokine Release Syndrome Management After Haploidentical Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation With Post-Transplantation Cyclophosphamide-Based Graft-Versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis. Transplant Cell Ther. 2023 Aug;29(8):515.e1-515.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.jtct.2023.05.008. Epub 2023 May 12. PMID: 37182736.
- McCune JS, Armenian SH, Nakamura R, Shan H, Kanakry CG, Mielcarek M, Gao W, Mager DE. Immunosuppressant adherence in adult outpatient hematopoietic cell transplant recipients. J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2023 May 3:10781552231171607. doi: 10.1177/10781552231171607. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37134196.
- Hill JA, Martens MJ, Young JH, Bhavsar K, Kou J, Chen M, Lee LW, Baluch A, Dhodapkar MV, Nakamura R, Peyton K, Shahid Z, Armistead P, Westervelt P, McCarty J, McGuirk J, Hamadani M, DeWolf S, Hosszu K, Sharon E, Spahn A, Toor AA, Waldvogel S, Greenberger LM, Auletta JJ, Horowitz MM, Riches ML, Perales MA. SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in the first year after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant: a prospective, multicentre, observational study. EClinicalMedicine. 2023 May;59:101983. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101983. Epub 2023 Apr 27. PMID: 37128256; PMCID: PMC10133891.
- Lee K, Shamunee J, Lindenfeld L, Ross E, Hageman L, Sedrak MS, Wong FL, Nakamura R, Forman SJ, Bhatia S, Armenian SH. Feasibility of implementing a supervised telehealth exercise intervention in frail survivors of hematopoietic cell transplantation: a pilot randomized trial. BMC Cancer. 2023 May 1;23(1):390. doi: 10.1186/s12885-023-10884-5. PMID: 37127595; PMCID: PMC10150529.
- Ngo D, Chen J, Tinajero J, Aribi A, Arslan S, Marcucci G, Nakamura R, Al Malki MM, Forman SJ, Dadwal S, Ali H. The impact of SARS-CoV2 vaccines on the incidence of graft versus host disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: a single-center retrospective study. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2023 Apr 18;14(1):95. doi: 10.1186/s13287-023-03326-3. PMID: 37072867; PMCID: PMC10112306.
- *Saunthararajah Y, *Nakamura R (co-1st author), Nam JM, Robyn J, Loberiza F, Maciejewski JP, Simonis T, Molldrem J, Young NS, Barrett AJ. HLA-15 (DR2) is over-represented in myelodysplastic syndrome and aplastic anemia and predicts a response to immunosuppression in myelodysplastic syndrome. Blood. 2002 Sep 1;100(5):1570-4. PMID: 12176872
- Hillmen P, Young NS, Schubert J, Brodsky RA, Socié G, Muus P, Röth A, Szer J, Elebute MO, Nakamura R, Browne P, Risitano AM, Hill A, Schrezenmeier H, Fu CL, Maciejewski J, Rollins SA, Mojcik CF, Rother RP, Luzzatto L. The complement inhibitor eculizumab in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. N Engl J Med. 2006 Sep 21;355(12):1233-43.PMID: 16990386
- Nakamura R, Auayporn N, Smith DD, Palmer J, Sun JY, Schriber J, Pullarkat V, Parker P, Rodriguez R, Stein A, Rosenthal J, Wang S, Karanas C, Gaal K, Senitzer D, Forman SJ. Impact of graft cell dose on transplant outcomes following unrelated donor allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation: higher CD34+ cell doses are associated with decreased relapse rates. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2008 Apr;14(4):449-57.PMID: 18342788
- *Rodriguez R, *Nakamura R (co-first author), Palmer JM, Parker P, Shayani S, Nademanee A, Snyder D, Pullarkat V, Kogut N, Rosenthal J, Smith E, Karanes C, O'Donnell M, Krishnan AY, Senitzer D, Forman SJ. Tacrolimus and Sirolimus as GVHD Prophylaxis for HLA-MRD Allogeneic HCT Conditioned with 3 Regimens. Blood. 2010 Feb 4;115(5):1098-105. Epub 2009 Nov 19. Erratum in: Blood. 2010 May 27;115(21):4318. PMID: 19965688
- Nakamura R, La Rosa C, Tsai W, Lacey S, Srivastava T, Seidel A, Senitzer D, Forman SJ, Diamond DJ. Ex vivo detection of CD8 T cells specific for H-Y minor histocompatibility antigens in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Transpl Immunol. 2014 May;30(4):128-35. PMID: 24582729
- Nakamura R, La Rosa C, Longmate J, Drake J, Slape C, Zhou Q, Lampa MG, O’Donnell M, Cai J, Farol L, Salhotra A, Snyder DS, Aldoss I, Forman SJ, Miller JS, Zaia JA, Diamond DJ. Viraemia, immunogenicity, and survival outcomes of cytomegalovirus chimeric epitope vaccine supplemented with PF03512676 (CMVPepVax) in allogeneic haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation: randomised phase 1b trial. Lancet Haematol. 2016 Feb;3(2):e87-98.
- Aldoss I, Pham A, Li SM, Gendzekhadze K, Afkhami M, Telatar M, Hong H, Padeganeh A, Bedell V, Cao T, Khaled SK, Al Malki MM, Salhotra A, Ali H, Aribi A, Palmer J, Aoun P, Spielberger R, Stein AS, Snyder D, O'Donnell MR, Murata-Collins J, Senitzer D, Weisenburger D, Forman SJ, Pullarkat V, Marcucci G, Pillai R, Nakamura R. Favorable impact of allogeneic stem cell transplantation in patients with therapy-related myelodysplasia regardless of TP53 mutational status. Haematologica. 2017 Sep 29. pii: haematol.2017.172544. doi: 10.3324/haematol. 2017.172544. PMID: 28971906
- Armenian SH, Xiao M, Berano Teh J, Lee B, Chang HA, Mascarenhas K, Lee S, Iukuridze A, Xie JJ, Scott JM, Jones LW, Wong FL, Forman SJ, Nakamura R. Impact of sarcopenia on adverse outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2019;111(8): djy231.
- Aldoss I, La Rosa C, Baden LR, Longmate J, Ariza-Heredia EJ, Rida WN, Lingaraju CR, Zhou Q, Martinez J, Kaltcheva T, Dagis A, Hardwick N, Issa NC, Farol L, Nademanee A, Al Malki MM, Forman S, *Nakamura R (Co-Senior Author), *Diamond DJ; TRIPLEX VACCINE Study Group. Poxvirus Vectored Cytomegalovirus Vaccine to Prevent Cytomegalovirus Viremia in Transplant Recipients: A Phase 2, Randomized Clinical Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Feb 11. doi: 10.7326/M19-2511. PMID: 32040960
- Nakamura R, Saber W, Martens MJ, Ramirez A, Scott B, Oran B, Leifer E, Tamari R, Mishra A, Maziarz RT, McGuirk J, Westervelt P, Vasu S, Patnaik, Kamble R, Forman SJ, Sekeres MA, Appelbaum F, Mendizabal A, Logan B, Horowitz M, Cutler C, on behalf of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network. A Biologic Assignment Trial of Reduced Intensity Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Based on Donor Availability in Patients Aged 50-75 with Advanced Myelodysplastic Syndrome. J Clin Oncol. In press