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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. Y; R- x# A# q9 \, y
6 l+ ?7 z) A" r2 z: QHis 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.6 u: v' e. _) |
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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.
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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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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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At 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., a% c. c9 v% o" c5 t" o
! u! T* E/ |- r0 o4 z7 ?* c; kHe 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.: [$ T; |- C$ J6 e
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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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.
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- {2 G, q9 H7 r3 eU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.# z6 f0 e5 U' ~. z. w6 j4 H
( [) v) v) z3 b! P; e- i. \The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.; ], }. o, k8 P3 O" y8 F# m9 |
6 O O: U: |2 S3 v$ z: U: M% v* h“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.3 q$ U5 E9 A! m- h% o6 G
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Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 13." l. s5 K( x" [7 m
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