Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Chinese doctor accused of stealing confidential US-funded cancer research

Chinese doctor accused of stealing confidential US-funded cancer research


A Chinese doctor was busted at a Texas airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle US-funded cancer research back to his home country – and could face federal charges for the brazen theft.

Yunhai Li, 35, was nabbed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on July 9 after border patrol discovered the sensitive confidential medical records on his laptop during an inspection ahead of his flight to China, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

The Chinese national, who was employed as a researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center since 2022, was reportedly working on a vaccine to prevent breast cancer from spreading before abruptly quitting on July 1 and uploading the nearly-completed research to a Chinese server on his computer. 

Headshot of Yunhai Li, a Chinese doctor accused of stealing US government research.
Yunhai Li, 35, was charged with theft of trade secrets and tampering with government records.

“Houston is proudly home to some of the most groundbreaking medical institutions in the world – publicly funded centers that are saving lives each day thanks to their innovative research,” District Attorney Sean Terre said in a statement.



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