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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.
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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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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.4 P% U- O, e) k6 w3 i4 `4 B
' [% R- q1 m5 d A s- RThe 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.5 b/ X4 h( c3 {6 l5 S
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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.
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3 C1 ]9 ^" Z9 O* T mAccording 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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/ I7 k* z: N% l% L8 d: w( n1 v3 fAt 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! i# ?) m9 f1 j
) o; L3 z8 q& `; U, P+ ?6 yHe 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.8 N; \1 F. H) k" O# Q
7 X$ Q- J3 A: c* O+ UWang’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.9 g& I( s9 w6 s0 z& \* K. X
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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.# t; j1 X* }/ n H& }& C3 G, Q
1 X' ?- v1 s5 e* ^7 c2 C# f5 @The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.
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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.! t3 U/ {, _3 O1 ^* u2 t
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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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( i/ V9 V7 U9 G# w5 ^Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.- s6 v" o1 d& ~
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