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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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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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; P2 W/ Z7 Q( F3 ^5 t0 yHis 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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- u' e! f# s6 ^; @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.3 P& p6 R' u) b1 {1 B
' @. S& Y( Y; Z" Z( dWang, 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.) N7 P) P2 q+ L
8 j* o; ?" V' b0 [1 _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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* E9 t- C S# y0 k! Z8 d3 l- 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.6 i/ @$ A( {7 R. M) Q8 I# E9 V
( h3 c1 C" r( s4 O. O8 jWang’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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: f( ^0 @6 S- q" g& b& |2 S2 ^U of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.( u4 U6 T" L( P0 x7 `& X
2 Y% ~/ @8 n8 }1 U& IThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.2 }& f; p5 u, p
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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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. F" K* K; `+ Z! G7 gBoth 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.
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