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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.% p0 j' d6 g' F) L% i
M$ a( V l4 I6 b% {" qZhixiang 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.3 g6 Z8 } c+ T$ J* {3 N3 G
8 Z7 h$ `( _ L( P) kThe same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases./ }! Z3 |: W$ F8 ]' m5 Q8 f
1 h% }: W! N8 O% n/ p5 t* F" i: wBoth 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.! V- r: y0 f: P7 l- n! x
8 S" A8 J; Q/ i6 F- y7 U8 _9 lAccording 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.( i) U [; P/ J* I1 z
- V* y! `. Z5 KHe 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.( J V+ @: `6 s t X }6 [
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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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.
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U of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.
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The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.5 H% k8 E- p3 n0 U. K
( P$ B& o# i P5 p2 H+ w“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.
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9 [' N) }1 D. h- e! iBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.3 j3 f8 _0 n9 v. J) e
( `+ o2 T/ v$ U6 d# _8 F7 h9 i, wTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.( I' `$ d) C; F0 B' w. v
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