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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./ s( ] ]5 {" ]
- M9 s- m3 p- k4 p. oZhixiang 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.
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- a. i5 I: X: D* kHis 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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# k( p4 K2 ]( p. ^+ l& cThe same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases./ [, _8 U8 c$ u# L; Y
' ] I# `) {) ~8 rBoth 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.5 I; C: n$ ]4 o! F. y5 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.& c: K/ T& F9 h6 N& M
5 L* a( h0 L, f/ @8 t, `' `: H) vAt 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.' b6 L5 }( q4 [8 K8 B* \' ^6 b
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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.( z1 q+ A5 R r: a6 i& @3 H; D3 l
4 X/ F0 u; O1 G5 h# y. E* x" K% _9 FWang’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.
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U of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave./ M7 `5 F5 i( n
1 ^6 ^+ o* m! C1 I# ~The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.
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5 Z2 C' }" S+ c2 L* `8 B/ Y“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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Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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