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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.: J& g9 P: c7 i
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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.7 W% `/ W6 h8 n
% r& j: L" y$ X( H b* q P eThe 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.) `, w2 i6 \. B* c) @. E
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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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8 ]3 B: {& z8 X V0 XAccording 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.$ [4 E( B3 K' I
4 P0 }' B( f, N1 }" cAt 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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6 {5 ~4 q) L* Y) E- c- {1 {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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; w- d/ o* x2 z9 g& {" k8 ^9 ~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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.
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0 {+ E* z v9 |+ gU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.
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6 ~( e" x' X/ d, J* a* G3 z$ `9 ]7 YThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.
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8 k6 ]- e9 E$ F9 k8 ]“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.& m8 P0 h- Y3 ?; o E: A
. a( D' K' C9 S$ M _Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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