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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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3 O' y1 t; D* AZhixiang 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./ Q% [. a2 a j% A- u% S1 |
1 d6 B4 Q v. n8 j1 LHis 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.
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- A% v' }0 q$ U$ \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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7 O. r/ x) m0 z/ KAccording 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., x9 D4 P& ]9 W* K9 x
: j% g+ w5 I# w* ZHe 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% T5 D" v: J. U z3 \" W. f& VWang’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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' t8 k4 P9 q, p9 A( D( H4 sU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.
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2 D& `5 Q% F1 b6 f- W/ JThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.3 q- o1 v1 e/ }4 ?& F
5 l2 U* F" c! P/ A1 h2 h+ G5 t“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." f0 ?/ U( U" A/ R' B
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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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4 J1 Y0 e5 M9 i9 FTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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