Acclaimed biologist Xu Xianzhong returns to China after arrests in his US lab

Multiple investigations into Chinese researchers at the University of Michigan in recent months involved members of Xu’s laboratory

Xu, a fellow of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science – has joined the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART) as a senior investigator with its Institute of Bio-Architecture and Bio-Interactions.

Three researchers from Xu’s lab were arrested late last year, charged with conspiracy to smuggle biological materials into the US, with one additionally accused of making false statements to customs and border protection officers, according to the US Justice Department.

In a statement in November, then attorney general Pamela Bondi said the researchers were “apparently part of a long and alarming pattern of criminal activities committed by Chinese nationals under the cover of the University of Michigan”.

According to the criminal complaint, two of the researchers received multiple shipments containing “concealed biological materials related to roundworms” from China, while a third was charged with making false statements to federal agents.

Source: News - South China Morning Post