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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.6 ^: k* K) J/ }; W
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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. ]$ A3 n% @2 S# Z1 S
. l0 f3 e e+ z, z3 {; FHis 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.
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The same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases./ X" g, R5 f" h' `! Y
/ M' x5 t0 @( M; x! d9 JBoth 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.2 g7 z/ M6 P$ `- Z
; N7 T1 W u& _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.& _8 x0 C2 Y! n, D
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According 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.9 U1 P" A6 V' n
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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.0 }' |% Q8 ^! M1 z; \, }
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He 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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/ q* k9 I$ y- ]+ T wWang’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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.( }" I4 I' Z1 s! z; N C9 b
: S, L S: B" k0 l" Z& W4 YU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.6 S3 I' N4 J3 x, ^: b( v2 u, G
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The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.' S/ R Q3 E3 [( G# S
; I t! M6 n0 `$ A8 ~8 i“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.
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Both Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.
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+ h" r& C5 Z/ ]& @; m7 KTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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