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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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, A- p' W, H0 i8 nZhixiang 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.
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The same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.# i8 }& l3 q# q' k; l* O# A. y- A
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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. L* X/ G1 S$ j
' O9 m9 L: l: V2 dWang, 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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1 z" L! A) r$ l# s' k# UAt 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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0 }( o$ B# S6 U0 g2 |! T( DHe 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.
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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.! D( w5 H2 q! j0 q( P
: E0 \( ]# X& e; k( ?' k1 }3 Z' bThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.
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4 b5 H* j4 K" j“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 X) P+ Y- X; v- c% l! h* x6 N
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Both Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.7 l* g5 s9 \' a, ]! u) F- }
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Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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