The goals of my research projects are to establish (1) an effective therapeutic paradigm by investigating pancreatic cancer immunology, and (2) a highly sensitive prevention paradigm by investigating tumor-associated immune-reactive components harboring in the liquid biopsies of pancreatic cancer. With my training in medicine/pathology and immunology/cancer biology, I am interested in understanding how components of the cancer stroma affect cancer development in pancreatic cancer. My recent findings include the following: mast cells promoted inflammatory progression and immune suppression in pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis and could serve as indicators for tumor progression; PD-1 inhibitors and OX40 stimulators eliminated tumors to provide long-term immune memory that prevented recurrence and thus tumor-bearing mice survived as long as healthy mice. These new insights driven by my work and serving at the MD Anderson Cancer Center for 15 years have expanded opportunities for translational research and the development of new strategies for the prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer, as well as immune-related early detection at the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital. As the PI on several foundation- and NSFC-funded grants, with several international awards and over 30 peer-reviewed publications on the role of the tumor microenvironment, I have a demonstrated record of success and productivity in pancreatic cancer immunology as an established investigator.