A top biomedical scientist has left the United States for China following cuts to US$8.3 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that funded his research projects.
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After studying and working in the US for 22 years, Hu “Tony” Ye, who held the prestigious chair professor position at Tulane University in New Orleans, left to take on the role of founding dean at the new school of biomedical engineering at his alma mater, Tsinghua University.
Hu has long focused on the rapid detection of viruses, publishing numerous papers in top-tier journals and serving as the associate editor of ACS Nano journal.
Hu has applied for more than 30 patents in the field of nanomedicine, 14 of which have been authorised by American or international companies, and is a co-founder of four biotech start-up companies in the United States.
Just months before he left the US, he commented publicly on freezes and cuts to NIH funding.
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He said a US$3.7 million NIH grant affected by the cuts had been allocated for the early detection of tuberculosis and HIV in children.