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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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0 c, n; p8 x& H/ o" ~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.; |0 K, e: @3 ]. r" @
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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., F5 Z! W# W3 _! I3 X
( I+ G( e7 G. A aThe same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.: k, L: k& T( N+ q. |2 d
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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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: {) H' N5 C+ k7 _& L. y. o! ]4 v1 J" IAccording 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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! h/ q/ T& d: z4 c4 `( u4 f$ d7 p+ s1 oAt 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.
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2 f' @1 U. V2 @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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.
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U of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.
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6 P$ D: G& s/ R3 ^, U* ~6 \+ rThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.3 Z6 {7 r2 F3 P: Q: s- ~8 Q& ^! z
: f3 A3 r W6 f' r! [* ^& ^“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./ p7 \0 G9 Q; z. V# p
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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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Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.$ c8 ~/ O: K6 t9 e
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