Yaqing Zhang

 profile-yaqing-zhang-2023
Research Associate Professor
Surgery
Medical School
[email protected]
Available to mentor
Yaqing Zhang
profile-yaqing-zhang-2023
Research Associate Professor
  • About
  • Qualifications
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications

  • Manage Your Profile

    • About

    Dr. Zhang, Research Associate Professor, has been a pancreatic cancer researcher in the Department of Surgery at the University of Michigan since 2010. She joined the laboratory of Dr. Marina Pasca di Magliano as a post-doctoral fellow after receiving her PhD from the Fourth Military Medical University in China. She is also board-certified in Anatomic Pathology in China and has years of experience in surgical and forensic pathology. Dr. Zhang's research focuses on the mechanisms underlying the establishment of immune suppression in pancreatic cancer, with the goal of discovering novel immune-modulatory approaches to effectively treating pancreatic cancer.

    Qualifications
    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Pancreatic Cancer
      University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
      2010 - 2014
      Postdoctoral Fellowship
    • Pathology Resident
      Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Department of Pathology, Qingdao, China
      1997 - 2002
      Residency
    • PhD
      Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
      2006 - 2010
    • MS
      Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao, China
      2001 - 2003
    • MB BS
      Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao, China
      1992 - 1997

    Research Overview

    Dr. Zhang's research interests include: 1) crosstalk between tumor cells and different types of stromal cells during both pancreatic cancer initiation and progression; 2) metabolic regulation of immunosuppressive myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer; 3) targeting the immunosuppressive microenvironment as a therapeutic strategy in pancreatic cancer.

    Recent Publications

     See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Targeting CCR1 remodels the tumor microenvironment and relieves immune suppression in pancreatic cancer.
      Zhang Y, Kadiyala P, Yan W, Brown K, Avritt FR, Donahue KL, Procario MC, Okoye JO, Giridharan T, Elhossiny AM, Espinoza CE, Awad D, Lasse Opsahl EL, Medina-Cabrera PI, Velez-Delgado A, Menjivar RE, Yang OA, Yang S, He X, Gupta S, Tariq R, Brandt AR, Wang X, denDekker A, Nwosu ZC, Carpenter ES, Courtney AH, Bednar F, Frankel TL, Lyssiotis CA, Zheng B, Kryczek I, Pasca Di Magliano M. Cancer Immunol Res, 2026 Jun 2; DOI:10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-25-1300
    • Journal Article
      Asynchronous evolution of epithelium and stroma differentiates precursor lesions from pancreatic cancer.
      Elhossiny AM, Kadiyala P, Okoye JO, Hiraki HL, Procario MC, Giridharan T, Watkoske HR, Tannus Ruckert M, Wang J, Griffith BD, Bray AW, Mills JN, Espinoza CE, Zeller J, Peterson N, Bednar F, Zhang Y, Rao A, Lyssiotis CA, Szczepanski JM, Shi J, Deshpande A, Maitra A, Fertig EJ, Carpenter ES, Frankel TL, Pasca di Magliano M. Cancer Discov, 2026 May 21; DOI:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25-2001
      PMID: 42165710
    • Journal Article
      A stromal PAI1-tPA axis orchestrates immunosuppression in pancreatic cancer
      Ngodup T, Elson B, Mello AM, Hannifin S, Liu M, Zhang Y, Shi J, Shah YM, Lawrence DA, di Magliano MP, Lee KE. Science Advances, 2026 Apr 3; 12 (14): DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aea6734
      PMID: 41931610
    • Journal Article
      Wilms Tumor 1-Expressing Stromal Cells Promote Pancreatic Cancer Progression
      Bischoff AC, Brown K, Lasse Opsahl EL, Watkoske HR, Espinoza CE, Okoye JO, Olivei AC, Green LM, Rai R, The S, Yan W, denDekker AD, Carpenter ES, Shi J, Bednar F, Frankel TL, Zhang Y, Pasca di Magliano M. Cancer Research, 2026 Jan 16; 86 (2): 331 - 348. DOI:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-25-1014
      PMID: 41032745
    • Journal Article
      Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Ligands Drive Pancreatic Cancer Initiation and Progression through Protumorigenic T-cell Polarization.
      Griffith BD, Kadiyala P, McGue J, Sun L, Kumar A, Espinoza CE, Donahue KL, Iyer MK, Speyer C, Nelson S, Spiteri A, Elhossiny AM, Brown K, Attebury H, Bednar F, Carpenter ES, Kryczek I, Zhang Y, Zou W, Pasca di Magliano M, Frankel TL. Cancer Discov, 2026 Jan 12; 16 (1): 114 - 134. DOI:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25-0377
      PMID: PMC12793834
    • Journal Article
      Fibroblast STAT3 Activation Drives Organ-Specific Premetastatic Niche Formation
      Lasse Opsahl EL, Espinoza CE, Olivei AC, Okoye JO, Watkoske H, Hoffman MT, Avritt FR, Elhossiny AM, Bischoff AC, Donahue KL, Poggi M, Kadiyala P, Arya N, Shi J, Lee KE, Zhang Y, Carpenter ES, Szczepanski JM, Frankel TL, Pasca di Magliano M. Cancer Research, 2026 Jan 2; 86 (1): 22 - 39. DOI:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-25-3472
      PMID: 41105672
    • Additional Scholarship
      Data from Analysis of Donor Pancreata Defines the Transcriptomic Signature and Microenvironment of Early Neoplastic Lesions
      Carpenter ES, Elhossiny AM, Kadiyala P, Li J, McGue J, Griffith BD, Zhang Y, Edwards J, Nelson S, Lima F, Donahue KL, Du W, Bischoff AC, Alomari D, Watkoske HR, Mattea M, The S, Espinoza CE, Barrett M, Sonnenday CJ, Olden N, Chen C-T, Peterson N, Gunchick V, Sahai V, Rao A, Bednar F, Shi J, Frankel TL, Pasca di Magliano M. 2025 Dec 11; DOI:10.1158/2159-8290.c.6651113
    • Additional Scholarship
      Supplementary Figures Part 1 from Analysis of Donor Pancreata Defines the Transcriptomic Signature and Microenvironment of Early Neoplastic Lesions
      Carpenter ES, Elhossiny AM, Kadiyala P, Li J, McGue J, Griffith BD, Zhang Y, Edwards J, Nelson S, Lima F, Donahue KL, Du W, Bischoff AC, Alomari D, Watkoske HR, Mattea M, The S, Espinoza CE, Barrett M, Sonnenday CJ, Olden N, Chen C-T, Peterson N, Gunchick V, Sahai V, Rao A, Bednar F, Shi J, Frankel TL, Pasca di Magliano M. 2025 Dec 11; DOI:10.1158/2159-8290.30859329