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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.' w% H; c4 F1 t( O
2 _. H) C! n* T6 qZhixiang 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.) m1 V$ J5 s& s g# A$ U6 J
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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.! L5 ]4 {8 ]4 H! v2 D
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The same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases.; J; n. ^! l3 @0 O# l1 y
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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.1 e, }- D! ~# r# {7 `7 u
4 c8 x/ E- @; eWang, 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.& s, ]& ~% N4 ]$ W- W
! z8 b: Y5 _0 a R3 P, V5 `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.
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2 F/ l+ N3 l1 ?. q! K( J" }: yHe 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.! g/ v( B& y' ?3 l& X
0 E# x7 k' {5 U- Q+ o( P# P' nWang’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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.3 F: @( u* S5 D& b" z
3 \3 H5 ~* Q' eU of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.1 n/ Y: U6 r5 T) `% k; A
- s+ p! C; ^+ \! @1 J5 fThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.
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) o5 i2 k6 q& v: o" V“Factors the university would take into account include whether there is a real or perceived connection between the charges and the person’s employment and whether the person’s presence on campus posed a real or perceived danger to the university or members of its community,” he said.
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: l- [. G$ w( N6 p1 `Both Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.+ |# G8 {) u i8 M& o% U9 L
6 [8 @ q* o( `, _; e# D5 fTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13./ G3 r" i$ Z# E; ]. {+ \! c3 D
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