U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology
09/18/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/19/2025 08:27
SST Leaders Express Security Concerns Over Foreign Theft of Critical Cancer Research
SST Leaders Express Security Concerns Over Foreign Theft of Critical Cancer Research
119th Congress Oversight Research Security
September 18, 2025
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin and Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick sent a letter to MD Anderson Cancer Center regarding the recent theft and tampering of proprietary cancer research by a Chinese citizen with direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
"Our Committee is dedicated to safeguarding domestic research at U.S. institutions, and this incident raises serious questions about the efficacy of the Center's research security protocols as required by federal law," the Chairmen expressed in the letter.
Reports indicate that the suspect, Dr. Yunhai Li, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center, uploaded his breast cancer vaccine research to a Chinese server under the influence of the CCP. Further review revealed that he failed to disclose grant funding from the CCP-controlled National Natural Science Foundation of China and prior research conducted at the CCP-funded First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.
Dr. Li's omissions, combined with the Center's failure to verify the accuracy of his disclosures, or lack thereof, raise serious concerns. Foreign researchers participating in federally funded projects must comply with strict federal research security protocols, including National Security Presidential Memorandum 33. This directive was established to strengthen research security at institutions receiving significant federal funding and to guard against intellectual property theft and foreign influence.
"As MD Anderson Cancer Center stands at the forefront of cancer research, protecting the integrity and security of its breakthroughs is critical, not only for patients who depend on them but also for taxpayer trust and national security," Babin and McCormick said.
To evaluate the Center's safeguards and its compliance with federal research security requirements, the letter poses a series of key questions aimed at clarifying current practices and identifying areas for improvement.
Read the full letter here.
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