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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 p" e$ b K5 q/ y; \' |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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; J+ C4 h, U- V; P. wHis 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.3 d, T; H% }3 Z) r, c
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The same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.) a) A6 q' y2 X+ f
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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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0 o" x h) W- G$ v% PWang, 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.( C* N! K6 F# L+ ?# I
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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.& ^! g- ?& y6 w$ ?
0 d& B3 K8 Y9 t. q4 |* 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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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./ ?, s( I3 r6 h' ?9 a z% T
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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.3 }" v8 w1 L: k1 l3 U
& o, R( U P2 P( R. ^( f* z' I4 [U of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.
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) y! g. }/ K8 j! Y. mThe 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.
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p3 a0 n) k2 H1 o8 O, R8 rBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.) W3 f" ~/ ~2 W2 {1 t
4 S- F9 V I# X. P* NTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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