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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." c; d6 S8 b- ?- N
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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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% Z5 e9 _. D9 S8 B% THis 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.3 Y3 T2 E; i: h6 `
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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.8 ?: J$ Q3 f0 I \8 }! R4 I: a2 P
4 Y! C3 e, P3 _% w% SWang, 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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' h$ G2 F4 W) L: ]* aAt 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.* y; w: P0 s& u4 i; @
$ s! q n0 Q* _4 G" `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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; Z. G4 W: v; E& j2 H0 CWang’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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.
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7 `8 E; G% S8 r5 P: |U of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.
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The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.. G% b W4 _. Y$ m# S1 D! r/ M5 N
/ g2 Z8 z' F7 J! N# 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.
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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.: Y9 V0 \! l- x
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