Lei Zheng, M.D., Ph.D.

Headshot of Lei Zheng
  • Co-Director, Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program
  • Professor of Oncology
Male

Languages: English, Chinese

Expertise

Anal Cancer, Bile Duct Cancer, Carcinoid Syndrome, Carcinoid Tumors, Cholangiocarcinoma, Colon Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Gastric Cancer, Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer, Gastrointestinal Cancers, Gastrointestinal Tumors, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Liver Cancer, Medical Oncology, Neuroendocrine Tumors, Pancreatic Cancer, Peri-Ampullar Cancer, Rectal Cancer, Small Bowel Cancer, Small Intestine Cancer, Stomach Cancer ...read more

Research Interests

Pancreatic Cancer Biology and Translational Research; Translational Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy; Tumor Microenvironment; Cancer Invasion and Metastasis; Clinical and Translation Research of Gastrointestinal Malignancies ...read more

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Insurance Information

Main Phone

Outside of Maryland & Washington D.C.

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International Patients

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Locations

Skip Viragh Outpatient Cancer Center

Appointment Phone: 410-614-0040
201 N. Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-8893 | Fax: 410-367-2194
Skip Viragh Outpatient Cancer Center - Google Maps

Background

Dr. Lei Zheng is an oncologist in Baltimore, caring for patients with conditions such as pancreatic cancer and gastrointestinal cancers. Regarded as one of the world’s top clinical specialists in pancreatic cancer, Dr. Zheng receives referrals from around the world.  

He is an internationally recognized expert in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer and in mouse models of pancreatic cancer and preclinical studies of combinational immunotherapies. Dr. Zheng serves as co-director of the Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Dr. Zheng received his undergraduate degree in pre-medicine from Peking University in Beijing. He earned his M.D. at Peking Union Medical College and his Ph.D. in molecular medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He completed his residency at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and performed a fellowship in medical oncology at Johns Hopkins. 

He also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in molecular medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center and a postdoctoral research fellowship in biochemistry and molecular biology at Rockefeller University. Dr. Zheng joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2009.

Dr. Zheng is a NIH-funded researcher who currently holds two R01 grants as a PI, one P50 grant as project leader, seven R01 and one R21 grants as co-investigator and 11 industry-contracts for investigator-initiated preclinical and clinical combinational immunotherapy studies as PI. His research interests include pancreatic cancer biology and translational research; translational immunology and cancer immunotherapy; and the tumor microenvironment.

Dr. Zheng is director of the Multidisciplinary Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Research Laboratory and the director of the NCI T32 Training Program on Surgical Oncology Research for the Department of Surgery. He holds numerous leadership roles, including chair of the China Advisory Group for the International Affairs Committee of the American Association for Cancer Research and editor-in-chief of the Annals of Pancreatic Cancer. He was recognized at the 45th Anniversary Meeting of the American Pancreas Association with the 2014 Hirshberg Award in Pancreatic Cancer. He has published extensively, including multiple book chapters, and was an editor of the book, Pancreatic Cancer.

Dr. Zheng is a member of several professional organizations, including the Chinese American Hematologist Oncologist Network (CAHON), the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA) and the American Pancreas Association (APA).

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Titles

  • Co-Director, Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program
  • Director, Multidisciplinary Gastrointestinal Cancer Laboratories Program
  • Director, NCI T32 Training Program on Surgical Oncology Research
  • Co-Associate Cancer Director for Precision Medicine
  • Assistant Cancer Director for Translational Research
  • Professor of Oncology
  • Professor of Surgery

Departments / Divisions

Centers & Institutes

Education

Degrees

  • MD; Peking Union Medical College (1996)

Residencies

  • Internal Medicine; Long Island Jewish Medical Center (2006)

Fellowships

  • Medical Oncology; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2009)

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine) (2006)
  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology) (2008)

Research & Publications

Lab

Dr. Zheng’s research is focused on two R01-funded projects. First, his team has created a pancreatic cancer immunotherapy research program on a neoadjuvant therapy platform as well as numerous preclinical models of pancreatic cancer in order to develop novel immunotherapy strategies. The group has used insights gained from pancreatic cancer immune-based therapies to develop a colorectal cancer GVAX vaccine. Second, his team aims to understand the mechanistic roles of the tumor microenvironment in cancer development and metastasis and identify new targets for pancreatic cancer therapies by dissecting the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer.

Lab Website: Lei Zheng Lab

Clinical Trial Keywords

Pancreatic cancer; immunotherapy; precision oncology; precision medicine; gastrointestinal cancers; bile duct cancer; colorectal cancer; gastric cancer

Selected Publications

Saung MT, Ke X, Howard GP, Zheng L, Mao HQ. “Particulate carrier systems as adjuvants for cancer vaccines.” Biomater Sci. 2019 Sep 17. doi: 10.1039/c9bm00871c

Upadhrasta S, Zheng L. “Strategies in developing immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer: recognizing and correcting multiple immune ‘defects’ in the tumor microenvironment.” J Clin Med. 2019 Sep 16;8(9). pii: E1472. doi: 10.3390/jcm8091472

Osipov A, Saung MT, Zheng L, Murphy AG. “Small molecule immunomodulation: the tumor microenvironment and overcoming immune escape.” J Immunother Cancer. 2019 Aug 22;7(1):224

Jurcak N, Zheng L. “Signaling in the microenvironment of pancreatic cancer: Transmitting along the nerve.” Pharmacol Ther. 2019 Apr 29. pii: S0163-7258(19)30073-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.04.010

Osipov A, Murphy A, Zheng L. “From immune checkpoints to vaccines: The past, present and future of cancer immunotherapy.” Adv Cancer Res. 2019;143:63-144. doi: 10.1016/bs.acr.2019.03.002. Epub 2019 Apr 28

Academic Affiliations & Courses

Graduate Program Affiliation

Cellular and Molecular Medicine

Courses and Syllabi

  • Tumor Antigens and Cancer Vaccines, Graduate Program in Immunology, Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Course
    Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
    2018

Activities & Honors

Honors

  • Hirshberg Award in Pancreatic Cancer, 45th Anniversary Meeting of the American Pancreas Association, 2014
  • Guangji Scholar Honor, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, 2011
  • AACR-Aflac Scholar-in-Training Award, American Association for Cancer Research, 2009
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology Young Investigator Award, The ASCO Foundation, 2008
  • Inducted Member, American Society of Clinical Investigation, 2021

Memberships

  • Chinese American Hematologist Oncologist Network (CAHON), 2014
  • International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA), 2012
  • American Pancreas Association (APA), 2011
  • Pancreas Club, 2010
  • American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), 2007
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), 2007

Professional Activities

  • Chair, China Advisory Group for the International Affairs Committee, American Association for Cancer Research, 2019
  • President, Chinese American Hematologist Oncologist Network (CAHON), 2018 - 2020
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Hematology and Oncology (the official journal of CAHON), 2018
  • Secretary General, CSCO Committee of Overseas Experts, 2018
  • Editor-in-Chief, Annals of Pancreatic Cancer, 2017
  • Vice Chair, Committee for Evidence-based Medicine, Division Society for Abdominal Neoplasm, 2017
  • Member, Board of Directors, Asian American Healthcare Center (AAHC), 2016
  • Associate Editor, Experimental Hematology and Oncology, 2016
  • Vice President, Division Society for Pancreatic Diseases, International Exchange and Promotive Association for Medicine and Health Care, 2016
  • Editorial Board, Oncology and Translational Medicine, 2015
  • Editorial Board, Oncology and Translational Medicine, 2015
  • Editorial Board, Chinese Journal of Cancer Research, 2014
  • Senior Editor, Cancer Research Frontier, 2014
  • Editorial Board, World Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2013
  • Chair, Board of Directors, Chinese American Doctors Association (CADA), 2008
  • Co-founder and volunteer physician, AAHC Charity Clinic, 2008

Videos & Media

Lectures and Presentations

  • Moments of Wonder: Hope for the Hopeless: Learning from the ‘Exceptional’ Subgroups of Pancreatic Cancer Patients
    Lecture, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine InHealth Grand Rounds, Baltimore, MD (03/15/2018)
  • Prevention and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Malignancies
    Lecture, Taikang-Johns Hopkins Healthcare Workshop, Shanghai, China (12/12/2014)
  • Dissect Tumor Microenvironment: A New Frontier for Pancreatic Cancer Targeted Therapies
    Lecture, Translational Research Conference, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (01/09/2013)
  • Biosimilars: The Future of Cancer Drugs
    Lecture, 2010 Symposium of the Hopkins Biotech Network, Baltimore, MD (12/04/2010)

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

Pancreatic Cancer and Immunotherapy Trials, Johns Hopkins Surgery (5/3/2017)

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