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FURUYA LABORATORY
Precision cancer prevention & biomarker-driven early detection

We develop and validate non-invasive biomarkers and integrative multi-omics strategies to enable earlier detection, risk stratification, and precision treatment of cancer—with a major focus on bladder cancer and upper-tract urothelial carcinoma.

Urine biomarkers Multiplex protein assays Radiogenomics Spatial biology Clinical translation

Research

Our lab develops biomarker-driven strategies to enable early detection, risk stratification, and precision prevention. We combine mechanistic insight with clinically grounded assay development.

Project 1

Precision prevention and early detection

We seek to identify measurable biological signals that emerge before clinically evident cancer, enabling non-invasive detection, longitudinal surveillance, and risk-adapted intervention.

Conceptual focus

  • Pre-diagnostic and early tumor–associated biological states
  • Risk stratification beyond presence/absence of disease
  • Prevention-oriented clinical decision support

Approach

  • Carefully curated clinical cohorts
  • PRoBE-style principles when feasible
  • Emphasis on assays compatible with real-world clinical workflows
Project 1 schematic
Conceptual framework linking early biological changes to biomarker detection and risk-adapted intervention.
Project 2

Biomarker panels and assay development

Our work prioritizes translation, with a focus on developing assays that are analytically robust, scalable, and deployable in clinical laboratories.

Translation priorities

  • Multiplex protein biomarker panels (primarily urine-based)
  • Reproducible quality-control and analytical validation frameworks
  • Systematic bridging from discovery platforms to targeted, locked assays
Project 2 schematic: assay development Project 2 schematic: analytical validation
Building practical, clinically scalable biomarker assays—from discovery through validation and deployment.
Project 3

Spatial and multi-omics biology

We connect tissue-level biology to measurable biomarkers and clinical outcomes, enabling mechanistic interpretation of non-invasive signals.

Representative methods

  • Spatial transcriptomics and spatial proteomics
  • Bulk profiling with targeted validation
  • Integrative analysis across cohorts, platforms, and experimental models
Project 3 schematic
Integrating spatial biology and multi-omics to link tissue states with liquid biomarkers and outcomes.
Project 4

Experimental models to support temporal biology

We leverage experimental models to understand how early tumor-associated states evolve over time and how these dynamics shape detectable biomarker signals.

Goals

  • Define temporal trajectories of tumor initiation and progression
  • Link evolving tissue biology to urine- and tissue-based biomarkers
  • Support hypothesis-driven interpretation of clinical findings
Project 4 schematic
Modeling temporal evolution of early lesions to interpret biomarker emergence and progression risk.

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