Cancer researcher shifts focus to new Immunology Institute From Texas to Beijing

South China Morning Post unveils in its article that the world-renowned cancer researcher returned to China after three decades of groundbreaking work in the US. 

After three decades of renowned work in the US, world-leading cancer researcher Sun Shao-Cong has returned to China to set up a new lab in Beijing, following what a source revealed were investigations into him by the US government.

Sun joined the Chinese Institutes for Medical Research (CIMR) as a distinguished investigator in July, he informed the Post via email last week. Renowned for his groundbreaking research on T cells – white blood cells that combat infections and eliminate abnormal cells – Sun's positions in the US have included serving as director of the Centre for Inflammation and Cancer at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston from 2014 to 2022.

Since then, he has been focused on recruiting for his lab and a new immunology institute. He stated that his team will explore the molecular mechanisms of anticancer immunity, autoimmunity, and inflammatory diseases, with a particular focus on T cell function and regulation.  

Sun was removed from his position in 2022 after being investigated for his connections to China, a source told the Post on condition of anonymity. The specifics of the investigations are unclear, but MD Anderson was one of the first institutions to dismiss researchers born in China following warnings from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a major funder, about the potential theft of US scientific research.

In 2018, the NIH and the Department of Justice initiated separate investigations into alleged economic espionage and technology theft linked to China. However, the probes sparked controversy due to concerns about racial profiling.

By Naila Huseynova