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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.+ G* v+ c* }9 r' o
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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.) ` D, S( r2 e- g9 ]3 S8 O1 X! x# ~
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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.
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# u" y% f n7 _9 Z' lBoth 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.% B% H% y$ H6 Y: [
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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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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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f% P9 q5 d: k/ {+ P) A, `; m/ 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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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.. X' C3 R4 r9 {8 L3 I; p/ y
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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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.' f/ Q/ W$ d6 D
6 H/ z0 ]/ g$ G5 F5 X) VU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.' i5 b; Q% g2 p* Q! O, [' Y
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The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.( G4 N5 B' G2 p k. t& {2 B. K0 c5 [
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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.9 V) d# ~, Z8 y/ r- N
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Both Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail." r; y( v* F, G% Q" B6 c+ P
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Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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