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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.2 n9 r: Z/ v9 n8 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.1 p, a$ E) K8 @- g
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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.0 ~+ H/ G: ^, F
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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.& U" o! e% x1 P- T: {8 y. Y) m
6 P/ g" c% ^+ P7 hWang, 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.
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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.
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% @4 p- |; I/ NAt 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.. @6 ^& k* {# j: Q' v
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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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+ y/ A0 V( a# ?9 G! c5 m* bWang’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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers., ]7 J. K) o! B* p7 c% c0 x T( C8 y
' b: E$ A" ?! mU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.1 V3 l3 v2 Z9 r: |5 J2 x
' D, E* ~( d* ~- E" v5 `The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.+ S( d. b( z, Q/ t: m2 l" x; p
1 @8 }) J5 u5 }; G; [“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.3 B+ ^! _& H" H% x1 n
8 c h3 l, U9 f/ H/ _* wBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.5 ~! C( p$ u2 l8 K
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Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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