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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. |. j. U) ^9 P$ i
% X3 k0 `& T; o5 q0 gZhixiang 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.$ x6 g$ L! Y# I6 ^" [
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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.8 z* x4 ~* b# }
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The same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.* E; D7 M5 o* E) y: C: x/ f& H
5 M( p! o% `! y$ ]" Z! {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 ]7 A$ F) t4 f' UWang, 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., T' G# h4 i4 ^# U, v3 N6 @
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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.
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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.% b2 D$ _; c2 s( o
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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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.5 ]8 A9 a, f7 l$ M$ h! N) @4 i
1 h; `. l# q. q! O- y6 wU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave. W) X, l2 A8 R/ J1 F
6 B) D" f( |& V4 e0 Y- w0 IThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.
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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.
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% ?- I# x; E: r- SBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail. L& r5 q$ q I5 k* t2 B; G! X/ N
; N0 S6 ^: P5 j: O4 z5 s- P/ E; UTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.* L3 T( W, m( z
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