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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.) i0 D% w! z4 V. R% t+ ?5 d5 K/ W
& G/ l8 S- N6 s# l% UZhixiang 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.! a G' v0 y f# E% y( B
. E! j* L! ] vHis 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.4 L$ p$ r$ g3 L1 J
% X4 ]/ {$ A6 v6 o- X2 V2 \The same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.
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* L; G7 C" t2 l; V. G( f# O- MBoth 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.. T4 p, j p, I2 W1 k: K, ^
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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.- x' H. d3 I. W8 V2 [
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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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' j4 X; T% m7 B) t4 TWang’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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- f" J8 i9 v7 q7 ]9 r8 _* jU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.' @% k: n( `! Z& r. a) }
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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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0 {! `( `- `. I( A4 a' ?7 ~“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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/ Q0 ]0 C7 G% x8 wBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.: S9 M* |( ~" o! H3 ]8 }
0 M2 \6 V" E# t8 _, M( TTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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