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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.2 G9 p Z7 R8 [8 o) c- Z
M- h1 V* m6 m! m2 ?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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- l1 U) \$ X9 A' j, r/ PHis 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.
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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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1 O* C, l5 d* r; R, zAccording 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 N5 x# ?( r, b. i) s3 lAt 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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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.& }8 V4 D' M) T# v
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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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.$ M! @, Z0 y7 M* ] {
7 n v# e. t# o3 F# z0 |( F/ eU 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.2 `% ?: |8 I) P. Z
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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.5 g9 L9 @9 S" c2 i* s; t5 b: c: r( x
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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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c3 W$ {; B4 [) pTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13. {& E# U+ V/ F4 u0 F" T9 {5 Y
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