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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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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.0 A" U: \: r! t" m! l8 w
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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.9 X/ u) \( E; o7 E3 a
6 m' x% Z; V" hWang, 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.$ \+ o& H n- C1 p/ G
3 x! C. y) `7 h. a1 SAccording 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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) n6 k% W, A% Z$ R( 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.
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: B& X/ ^- G0 ^- ~2 ^- H; ?+ rHe 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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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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.
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: O7 y/ u' g1 l, VU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.4 ?" c! B+ y7 j( W1 M9 {" Y
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The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.
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“Factors the university would take into account include whether there is a real or perceived connection between the charges and the person’s employment and whether the person’s presence on campus posed a real or perceived danger to the university or members of its community,” he said./ Q9 x4 ]( D, P, A+ K
* \3 b: e8 R- {4 @. yBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.+ ~; A' n5 i# ]/ {3 O/ H! P5 k
6 K8 g. z! E4 H3 o$ ~$ hTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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