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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.% e# C5 u" `" T3 a2 ~, }* O
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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.+ Z' S- E' e4 T T
4 z% B# m, N [+ E. x( P% Z. ]His 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.! w- J* I1 r/ t6 c
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The same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.
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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., b5 ~3 E- P t$ x
: k5 F) P0 o( l6 k: P, E4 t$ uWang, 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. M7 X4 W8 q/ B) [) E( f
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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.* L; t7 v# _ @6 n6 D" \* b* n% h
' K' F! @& W, M l/ MAt 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.% p. Z1 l3 ~- b
# k% T' H z/ t A2 F7 B5 O, T! MHe 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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers., S! a @7 f) J1 [
7 o8 K/ Q9 M) T' AU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.$ Q6 Z/ C! [. B1 o
0 ^, `% p0 G, ]( Z; G; `5 MThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.
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1 L3 A3 v; Z5 Z9 d9 K: R“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.2 g$ K7 \3 Z- o; U8 F! \% B
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Both Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.* d" \9 p& B. T# Z3 i
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Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.$ C) t: n3 P( b9 }
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