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Portrait of Keren Jia

MD, PhD

Keren Jia

Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Endoscopy

The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University · Xiamen, China

Physician–scientist working at the interface of gastrointestinal cancer biology, tumor immunology, and computational medicine. My work asks how immune infiltration, the microbiome, and spatial tissue architecture collectively shape clinical responses to immunotherapy in gastric cancer.

Publications Curriculum Vitae

About

Hello — I’m Keren

I am an oncologist and researcher with a background spanning molecular biology, tumor immunology, and computational analysis. I received my PhD in Oncology from Peking University (supervised by Prof. Lin Shen), where my work on spatial-proteomics-based immune profiling and machine-learning prediction of immunotherapy response was published in journals including Nature Communications, Molecular Cancer, and BMC Medicine.

During my training I spent time as a research trainee at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) and as a visiting student at the University of Cambridge. I am currently a Deputy Chief Physician in the Department of Endoscopy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, where I care for patients with gastrointestinal cancers and translate molecular insights into precision medicine.

Research Interests

What I study

01

GI Cancer Biology & Precision Medicine

Molecular mechanisms and clinical landscape of gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers, aimed at improved precision diagnosis and treatment.

02

Tumor Immune Microenvironment

Spatially resolved immune landscapes via multi-omics sequencing, machine-learning prediction of immunotherapy response, and determinants of response to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade.

03

Tumor Microbiome & Host–Microbe Crosstalk

How Helicobacter pylori and gut/intratumoral microbiota shape an immunotherapy-sensitive microenvironment.

Publications

Selected work Recent

  1. Jia K#, Chen Y#, Dai D#, Xie Y, Peng H, Cao Y, Zou H, Qiu C, Tan Y, Zhang X, Lu Z, Yin X*, Peng Z*, Li J*, Shen L*

    Impact of Helicobacter pylori infection on gut and intratumoral microbiome and its association with immunotherapy response in gastrointestinal cancer

    BMC Medicine, 2026 Jan 12; 24(1): 79.

  2. Chen Y#, Jia K#, Xie Y#, Yuan J, Liu D, Jiang L, Peng H, Zhong J, Li J, Zhang X, Shen L*

    The current landscape of gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer diagnosis and treatment in China: a comprehensive nationwide cohort analysis

    Journal of Hematology & Oncology, 2025 Apr 15; 18(1): 42.

  3. Xie Y#, Peng H#, Hu Y#, Jia K#, Yuan J, Liu D, Li Y, Feng X, Li J, Zhang X, Sun Y, Shen L*, Chen Y*

    Immune microenvironment spatial landscapes of tertiary lymphoid structures in gastric cancer

    BMC Medicine, 2025 Feb 4; 23(1): 59.

  4. Chen Y#, Jia K#, Chong X, Xie Y, Jiang L, Peng H, Liu D, Yuan J, Li Y, Feng X, Sun Y, Li J, Zhang X*, Shen L*

    Implications of PD-L1 expression on the immune microenvironment in HER2-positive gastric cancer

    Molecular Cancer, 2024 Aug 20; 23(1): 169.

  5. Jia K#, Chen Y#, Xie Y#, Wang X, Hu Y, Sun Y, Cao Y, Zhang L, Wang Y, Wang Z, Lu Z, Li J, Zhang X, Shen L*

    Helicobacter pylori and immunotherapy for gastrointestinal cancer

    The Innovation, 2024 Jan 8; 5(2): 100561.

Bold = first or co-first authorship · # equal contribution · * corresponding author

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Highlights

News & milestones Recent

  • Aug 2026

    Funded by the Young Scientists Fund (Category-C) of the National Natural Science Foundation of China as Principal Investigator.

  • Jul 2026

    Named Fujian Provincial High-Level Talent (Category C) by the Talent Work Office of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee.

  • Jul 2026

    Appointed a Young Editorial Board Member of The Innovation Oncology.

  • May 2026

    Funded by the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) of the Health Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR as Co-Principal Investigator.

  • Jan 2026

    Published a first-author paper in BMC Medicine: "Impact of Helicobacter pylori infection on gut and intratumoral microbiome and its association with immunotherapy response in gastrointestinal cancer."

  • Jan 2026

    Reappointed a Young Editorial Board Member of Medicine Advances for a second term (2026–2028).

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