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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.+ d4 E8 E' n/ V
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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.
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* b: O1 T g7 V7 }* P' G) vHis 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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2 [' v: _/ B) _- D, E3 tThe same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.
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" ?0 ~6 N" s( u3 f5 T4 C8 v1 BBoth 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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4 y2 ^3 Z ]6 {" D- y4 zWang, 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. n! ^4 Y- J+ X
# z% E: o4 B# UAccording 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.
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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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! |. ?. m* ~* x$ r* b( |6 rHe 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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.6 E3 A( s5 w$ V) V) o" F
" m# t! Y F' ZU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.: Q& d3 H v1 U- I% s L8 \% h
) D& \8 u% A5 [- g; m) l! QThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.4 p ~" f/ K7 X
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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.; ^9 ^) C7 C- \1 r
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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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5 C$ I' `9 R# cTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.: l- I. J a3 {2 G6 H
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