Chinese doctor in Texas accused of stealing US-funded cancer research

Yunhai Li, a 35-year-old doctor at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, was arrested on Aug. 22 after investigators said he attempted to steal confidential breast cancer vaccine research and take it to China. He is charged with theft of trade secrets, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and tampering with a government record, a misdemeanor.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security agents stopped Li at George Bush Intercontinental Airport as he prepared to board a flight to China on July 9. Border agents found two phones and a laptop containing unpublished MD Anderson research. Investigators said Li had uploaded about 90 gigabytes of files to Chinese cloud service Baidu and used software to delete evidence of other accounts. He admitted to downloading the files and told investigators he hoped officers would not find the data.

Authorities said Li submitted false information on government forms, failing to disclose outside affiliations that could have restricted his access to federally funded research. He was released after the airport stop and arrested weeks later following further investigation. He is free on a $5,000 bond and ordered to remain in the Houston area.

Li joined MD Anderson in 2022 on a U.S. research scholar visa after earning his medical degree in China. He signed confidentiality agreements prohibiting undisclosed funding or affiliations but investigators found he held a position at Chongqing Medical University and received support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Charging documents also state he was listed as an author on research published in China while still employed at MD Anderson.

The breast cancer vaccine project Li worked on was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. He resigned from MD Anderson on July 1, when the project was about 70% complete. Li told investigators he believed the work was “going to waste” and said, “As a product of my efforts over the last three years I believe I have a right to possess and retain this data.” He also told border agents he did not remember signing nondisclosure agreements.

Li’s case is being investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security Investigations in coordination with federal prosecutors. Li is also under federal investigation for possible wire fraud, theft of federal funds and abuse of official capacity. His defense attorney, Eddie Gomez, said the case was in the early stages and declined further comment. MD Anderson confirmed Li’s employment ended on July 1 and said the center is cooperating with investigators.

His arrest comes as other Chinese nationals in the U.S. face charges involving alleged theft or concealment of research ties. In 2019, a University of Kansas researcher was arrested for hiding his work in China and was later convicted of wire fraud before the conviction was overturned on appeal in 2022. In July, federal prosecutors indicted two men from China accused of hacking into research institutions, including the University of Texas Medical Branch, to obtain information on COVID-19 vaccines.