On the morning of July 17, the conference of 2019 Science and Technology Progress Award of Shaanxi Province was grandly held. The "pancreatic cancer study" conducted by the team led by Professor Ma Qingyong from Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi 'an Jiaotong University (XJTU) grabbed the first prize of Science and Technology Progress Award of Shaanxi Province.

The conference was presided over by Cheng Fubo, Vice Governor of Shaanxi Province. Hu Heping, Secretary of Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee and Liu Guozhong, Governor of Shaanxi Province, jointly presented the award certificates to the first prize winners of the 2019 Science and Technology Progress Award of Shaanxi Province. According to the assignment by Professor Ma Qingyong and arrangement by Director Wu Zheng, Professor Wang Zheng from Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery attended the ceremony for receiving the award.

Since 2000, the pancreas research team represented by Professor Ma Qingyong, Director Wu Zheng and Professor Wang Zheng, has been devoted to refining and innovating the pancreas research, attempting to resolve the livelihood problem of pancreatic diseases and hoping to enhance clinical prognosis of patients with pancreatic diseases through precise treatment by focusing on key problems. In clinical work, the pancreatic research team deeply realized the complexity of multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic diseases. In 2011, the first multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment team of pancreatic diseases in China was established here, aiming to resolve the issue of poor prognosis of patients with pancreatic tumors through multidisciplinary cooperation. Up to now, it has offered specialized services for more than 500 patients with pancreatic tumors through multidisciplinary consultation platform. The team was the first to integrate laparoscopy, robots, ERCP/EUS and other technologies in the western region, becoming a member of the first ranking teams in China. The team participated in drafting the pancreatic tumor guidelines for 16 times, and proposed the innovative pancreaticojejunostomy method, which received widespread recognition from global scholars. The team members also won the first prize of Young Chinese Surgeon Award. To lower the high mortality rate of pancreatitis patients, in January 2013, a surgical ICU was first established in western China, which revolutionized the treatment of pancreatitis from single treatment to "people-oriented, disease-oriented" pattern by multi-dimensional integration of endoscopy, surgery, severe illness and lithotripsy, bringing clinical benefits to patients with pancreatic diseases. With the enormous support of XJTU and our hospital, Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Pancreatic Diseases of XJTU and Pancreas Club of Shaanxi Province were set up in 2020, aiming to promote discipline development and team building, improve the diagnosis and treatment levels of pancreatic diseases, play an active role in facilitating talent cultivation and improving the medical levels of grass-roots hospitals via mutual cooperation and professional guidance. The team also formulated corresponding measures for prevention, screening, early diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, follow-up and management of patients diagnosed with pancreatic diseases, and offered comprehensive and individualized diagnosis and treatment plan for each patient through multidisciplinary team consultation. The ultimate goal is to serve the public and benefit patients.

In terms of scientific research aspect, the team has been devoted for 20 years to first elucidating the critical role and mechanism underlying neurotransmitters in nerve infiltration of pancreatic cancer and the molecular mechanism of chemokines in the theory of metastatic tendency of pancreatic cancer, aiming to resolve the high metastasis rate and high-risk nerve infiltration characteristics of pancreatic cancer. The project was completed under the support of 21 National Natural Science Foundation of China projects and tens of projects at the provincial and university levels. In addition, the team utilized transgenic animals to simulate the incidence and development of pancreatic cancer from all angles, revealing the mechanism underlying the roles of smoking, stress and diabetes mellitus in promoting the occurrence and development of pancreatic cancer. In recent years, the team has published more than 200 articles related to pancreatic diseases, including over 150 articles in SCI-indexed journals, such as The Lancet,Journal of Clinical Oncology,Nature Communications,Gut,Cancer Research and Clinical Cancer Research,etc. Some articles have been cited for more than 100 times. The team has established long-term partnership with Johns Hopkins Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center and College of Medicine of the University of Oklahoma. The team has won 1 first prize and 2 second prizes of Science and Technology Progress Award of Shaanxi Province.

The team will continually implement the speech spirit, adhere to the concept of novel development with confidence and perseverance, take the rare opportunity of building up the "Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Pancreatic Diseases of XJTU", strive to establish a regional characteristic medical center for pancreatic diseases, strengthen the discipline influence via medical alliances and cooperative hospitals, and continually elevate the clinical diagnosis and treatment levels of pancreatic diseases. The team will remain true to the original aspiration, keep the mission firmly in mind, seize the day and live it to the full, forge ahead, contribute the wisdom and strength of medical staff from XJTU to the "Healthy China Strategy", and make novel and greater contributions to writing a brand-new chapter of catching up and advancement of Shaanxi Province in the new era.