Federal authorities have announced trade secret theft charges against husband-and-wife researchers who worked for 10 years at Nationwide Children's Hospital's Research Institute.
A grand jury indictment handed down in July and unsealed Monday accuses the couple of stealing cellular research they conducted at Nationwide Children's Hospital's Research Institute in Columbus.
The indictment accuses 46-year-old Li Chen and her husband, 49-year-old Yu Zhou, of stealing trade secrets related to the research and illegally transferring the information to China.
The indictment also says the couple set up businesses in China, applied for patents there and traveled to China, all without Nationwide Children's authorization.
Steve Nolder, an attorney representing Chen, declined comment, calling it a "complicated and sensitive case." A message was left with Zhou's attorney.
