M.D. Anderson Cancer Center fires suspected Chinese spies

[clapclapclap 9000]

https://abc13.com/5261967/

HOUSTON, Texas -- A prominent cancer center in Houston has ousted three of five scientists whom federal authorities identified as being involved in Chinese efforts to steal American research. 

Peter Pisters, the president of MD Anderson Cancer Center, told the Houston Chronicle that the National Institutes of Health wrote to the cancer center last year detailing conflicts of interest and unreported foreign income by five faculty members, and gave it 30 days to respond. 

"As stewards of taxpayer dollars invested in biomedical research, we have an obligation to follow up," Pisters said. MD Anderson received $148 million in NIH grants last year. 

The center provided internal documents to the Chronicle regarding the cases but the names of the scientists were redacted. The newspaper said all three are ethnically Chinese. Two of them resigned ahead of termination proceedings and the third is challenging the dismissal. 

Officials determined termination was not warranted for one of the remaining two and are still investigating the other. 

It's not clear if any of them face federal charges or deportation. An FBI spokeswoman in Houston, Christina Garza, said Saturday that the agency "does not confirm or deny the existence of any investigation." 

Pisters said MD Anderson's reputation as the world's No. 1 cancer center made it an obvious target, but the newspaper report doesn't say what evidence of intellectual property theft was uncovered at the facility. 

The dismissals come amid heightened concern in Washington, D.C., that foreign governments including China have been using students and visiting scholars to pilfer intellectual property from confidential grant applications. 

At a gathering in Houston last summer, FBI officials warned Texas academic and medical institutions of the threat, particularly from insiders, and called on them to notify the agency of any suspicious behavior. 

A 2017 FBI report found that intellectual-property theft by China costs the U.S. as much as $600 billion annually. FBI Director Christopher Wray has called China "the broadest, most significant" threat to the nation and that its espionage is active in all 50 states. 

"This is part of a much larger issue the country is facing," Pisters told the Chronicle. "Trying to balance an open collaborative environment and at the same time protect proprietary information and commercial interests." 

Some Chinese Americans say the crackdown amounts to racial profiling and that it hinders groundbreaking research. 

"Scientific research depends on the free flow of ideas," Frank H. Wu, president of the New York-based Committee of 100, a group of influential Chinese Americans, told the newspaper. "Our national interest is best advanced by welcoming people, not by racial stereotyping based on where a person comes from." 

MD Anderson released the following statement about the incident: 

"After in-depth investigations by UT System and MD Anderson officials, violations of NIH and MD Anderson rules and policies led to the initiation of termination processes for three tenured faculty members. The termination process for tenured faculty members includes constitutional due process protections, entails a hearing in front of a panel of peer faculty members, and ultimately requires review and approval by the UT System Board of Regents. Two of the faculty members elected to resign in the early stages of the process and one process is ongoing."

 

 

"Peter Pisters"

Edited April 22, 2019 by clapclapclap

[SuingToGetAMessageBoard? 3861]

Damn.  Right after Korematsu got overturned too.  

[Js1 85584]

Damn, they looked perfect inconspicuous to me.

[XYZ 2154]

Shocked that Chinese would try to steal IP. Shocked.

[Brisketexan 105378]

Officials were clued in when the cokes in the hospital cafeteria started tasting funny.

[tucker 238]

[Fuck Tim Beck 3834]

Peter seems pist 

[Macanudo 13014]

1 hour ago, clapclapclap said:

FBI Director Christopher Wray has called China "the broadest, most significant" threat to the nation and that its espionage is active in all 50 states. 

What are they stealing from Oklahoma?   Suck?

[El Diablo 4232]

4 minutes ago, Macanudo said:

What are they stealing from Oklahoma?   Suck?

Values. So yes, the suck.

[Armybrat 40918]

FBI director is correct.

[TwiceHorn 31539]

I have it on good authority that China does, indeed, suck.

[Guest Lobo]

"Hey Wang, why does your department keep ordering so many felines for 'Lab Testing Overrages'?"  

[Armybrat 40918]

Dogs. The Chinese like to eat dogs.

[Guest Lobo]

I thought it was Koreans:Dogs :: Chinese:Cats 

[Armybrat 40918]

Taiwan Chinese treat dog as a gourmet delicacy. Most of the hole-in-the-wall restaurants I saw in Taipei had at least two or three skinned dogs hanging in the front window.

Our Chinese farmer neighbor sold his old watchdog to a local restaurant & bought a new pup as a replacement. Old dog apparently escaped and showed up back at the farmhouse the next morning. When the restaurant guy returned to reclaim his runaway menu entree, my dad interceded and gave him $5 to just leave the dog. That $5 was probably more than his rice joint grossed in a week, so everybody was happy except me. That damned old dog sat outside near my bedroom window and barked half the night the whole time we lived there.

My dad was a sentimental guy.

[Asithappens 974]

This has been fairly common knowledge for several years at MDA.

I guess they finally got the evidence/political cover to actually do something about it.

[MAROON 445]

Swedgen!  San Francisco Cocksuckers!

 

Edited April 22, 2019 by MAROON

[Armybrat 40918]

34 minutes ago, Asithappens said:

This has been fairly common knowledge for several years at MDA.

I guess they finally got the evidence/political cover to actually do something about it.

Just think of all the Chinese nationals working in sensitive technological facilities. /racist.

[Asithappens 974]

6 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Just think of all the Chinese nationals working in sensitive technological facilities. /racist.

Doesn't even have to be Chinese nationals. 

But scientific knowledge is a lot like zebra mussels: they will spread across the globe over time no matter what steps you take to curtail it.

[Armybrat 40918]

Yeah, undoubtedly that is the reality of the new “Globalism”.

[Guest Lobo]

Isn’t this some kind of tacit admission that capitalism births more innovation and medical advancements than socialism?

[Armybrat 40918]

1 minute ago, BurntEyes said:

I spent over 20 years working at shelters and many of them at PAWs or Austin Pets Alive doing behavior work with the highest issue/behavior problem dogs. 

In other words, I really, really love dogs. I can find something to love about many that most people would fear or despise.

I write all that to set up this.

Less than a handful of times in my life, sub 5, I've met a dog and despite my best efforts and natural inclination.. thought "This dog is worthless".

They exist. My experience is really stupid, as well as randomly noisy or whiney is a good way to make what is a very exclusive list for me.

I didn’t hate that dog, but was really annoyed about losing a lot of sleep. I love dogs and have had several all my life up until 12 years ago. I weep sentimentally more for some of those long gone dogs more than I do for my loving parents. I am a sentimental guy too.

[futureman 22550]

how many american nationals do we have working in highly funded research institutions in china? 

[happyfunball 481]

Posted on the politics forum but a better article

[hornian 5223]

I’m not sure that a cure for a deadly disease should be considered intellectual property. But that’s just me. 

[Your Mom 4852]

The problem with catching 3 Chinese scientist spies is that an hour later you’re just going to want 3 more Chinese scientist spies. 

[drt 640]

5 hours ago, hornian said:

I’m not sure that a cure for a deadly disease should be considered intellectual property. But that’s just me. 

It's more the methodology than the effect that they're trying to protect.  Researchers at MDA work on everything from stem cell to biomaterials to pharmacological agents.  Most of that research has applications in waaaay more than just cancer.  And historically the Chinese have much more lax ethical standards about how those methodologies are applied.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13523]

5 hours ago, hornian said:

I’m not sure that a cure for a deadly disease should be considered intellectual property. But that’s just me. 

It’s the world we live in. They’re developing tech that could be worth millions or billions in future research so you have to protect your investments. Otherwise no one will invest tomorrow if it can be taken from you.

[Asithappens 974]

7 hours ago, hornian said:

I’m not sure that a cure for a deadly disease should be considered intellectual property. But that’s just me. 

I'm sure there are plenty of communists in China who wholeheartedly agree with you, comrade.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

15 hours ago, Asithappens said:

This has been fairly common knowledge for several years at MDA.

I guess they finally got the evidence/political cover to actually do something about it.

DePinho's wife Chin is a Chinese national they weren't going to do anything about it. Took his ouster.

Edited April 23, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[El Diablo 4232]

3 hours ago, drt said:

It's more the methodology than the effect that they're trying to protect.  Researchers at MDA work on everything from stem cell to biomaterials to pharmacological agents.  Most of that research has applications in waaaay more than just cancer.  And historically the Chinese have much more lax ethical standards about how those methodologies are applied.

If we start hearing reports of cell phone AIDS I think we'll know where to look. In our Cokes. 

[High Plains Drifter 11052]

19 hours ago, Macanudo said:

What are they stealing from Oklahoma?   Suck?

Meth recipes.

[The University 851]

if there is anything innovative in your field, it's a guarantee that china's "thousand talents" program is trying to work their way in.

[phdhorn 6224]

20 hours ago, Macanudo said:

What are they stealing from Oklahoma?   Suck?

1 hour ago, High Plains Drifter said:

Meth recipes.

I dunno, they got some diseases and shit going around up there that they haven't even named yet.  Probably not a bad id-eer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Macanudo 13014]

3 hours ago, phdhorn said:

I dunno, they got some diseases and shit going around up there that they haven't even named yet.  Probably not a bad id-eer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can't cure stupid.

[Asithappens 974]

9 hours ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

DePinho's wife Chin is a Chinese national they weren't going to do anything about it. Took his ouster.

DePinho and Chin.

Two of the biggest dumb-fucks ever to disgrace MDA.