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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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1 K1 }# @1 l, J4 Y) Z& bZhixiang 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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2 }# | Q2 ]6 |; xHis 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.+ O$ E: I) E6 w/ P
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The same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.( {: W; U7 }4 w' U# T
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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.
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8 f7 r X( g9 _: Y& e9 U5 @3 _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., U7 R' `# ^$ n! W8 c
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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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$ A2 t* w6 `0 `$ q- `; ?# M+ }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.4 l( r; X6 o5 \- G% ~
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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.( m: r2 d( X' R% }4 u( s
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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.
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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.) n a) B" }9 O: o! r
$ a5 L9 o$ O2 }' c% z" \The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.- Z5 T0 {' j' e3 ? f* {7 v K/ L
" H) V/ i2 A5 [6 l1 P“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. i" x+ F7 B3 w
1 A8 f: w8 A, ]$ k/ YBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.% G7 ^3 B3 U3 p% h5 V
6 H; k1 Z- Z+ {8 W% T( q0 vTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.' y! ~, x5 z2 N' S( n
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