Of course you can. But the strongest evidence is published materials and awards. Research fund to you (PI or co-PI) is also a award. USCIS won't rely on too much on reference letters unless which are from a Nobel laureate, a senator, a NAS member or some big names. They usually do not trust letters from your China boss. Published commentary on your paper is very strong evidence.
Try your luck. Some people without very good publication still got EB-1a.