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A prominent University of Alberta researcher and his wife are facing charges related to the alleged sexual assault and confinement of a minor, the Journal has learned.* T1 J5 |! l" r( n
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Zhixiang Wang, 51, is facing one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual contact with a child for offences allegedly carried out between Nov. 2009 and May 31, 2010, court records show.; g8 P4 n5 o p, l8 B% S7 D$ F
3 s( I7 w9 x# S5 [1 J' cHis wife, Xinmei Chen, 49, is charged with one count of unlawful confinement of a child between May 31, 2010 and Jan. 29, 2013, the records show. M+ l3 `/ `3 j: h
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The same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.3 V0 T9 g( O9 J" Z: L
7 v' X5 o1 @2 ]( A4 Z3 S. H* S) S8 }Both were arrested at Edmonton police headquarters and charged on Feb. 14, police spokesman Scott Pattison said in an email. There are no other potential victims, he added.
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Wang, an associate professor in the university’s department of medical genetics, was named a senior heritage scholar in 2000 by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.) K% b( z* D u. B3 z; r
3 j$ Q, c$ O) g( [+ g& W/ }: ]# }. PAccording to an article about Wang in the foundation’s fall 2003 issue, Wang joined the U of A in 1999. He had been studying cell biology of locusts, but according to the article, made the switch to medical-related research in 1994 while pursuing post-doctoral research at the University of Toronto./ s" Z4 L, r/ s
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At the time, the article says, Wang’s research focused on a protein found in most body fluids that, in high levels, can lead to the development of breast cancer.
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+ X, y& Q, S: r, x& hHe has numerous academic publications to his name, including several authored with Chen, who is listed on the U of A website as a technician working in Wang’s lab.
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Wang’s cancer research is considered among the most promising in Canada. In 2005, he was awarded a grant from the Canadian Cancer Society worth more than $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.5 X+ [2 o# I+ Q. q3 Z: t3 e4 h
& l$ |9 ]- @& B m+ c: |, ^9 C" i7 ZU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.
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The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.
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“Factors the university would take into account include whether there is a real or perceived connection between the charges and the person’s employment and whether the person’s presence on campus posed a real or perceived danger to the university or members of its community,” he said.& c9 I$ {: c: [7 K2 O- Z) {
) a1 S! }: E, `1 M$ o: t+ F" HBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.2 c2 T: t# k: E- |: O
- } e) n0 b1 l: UTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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