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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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% F7 c9 s* N4 \8 T( kZhixiang 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.6 v2 {& ^$ t* i/ z8 D
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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.& ~, h e+ M2 v4 D
& T: U3 ~- G8 Y# S: {( m! LThe same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.) l6 u6 q4 d+ q) q+ |) M
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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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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 K' F- A' b# _2 O/ s9 ]- SAccording 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., ~( _. `5 ~: |0 _4 [
) P. _: D) C$ cHe 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./ q" R- D7 w( ]3 h
3 x- \) {8 I; F3 t/ k% y3 d+ rWang’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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.
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! w! O5 ^' q: @. u' |$ UU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.
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2 f$ N* y7 w. e1 m+ Q: O0 d* \The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.2 Z6 t3 k( l- ~" C8 G7 E! o
( g+ `) V% E6 Y1 i1 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.* k; h2 b- F: @+ A9 ?9 z3 n6 H
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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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