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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." R9 D9 d+ m; l( Q. S$ i
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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.; {4 M, D4 P+ u. o) R" x# S+ y
1 `, _( | f0 PHis 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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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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' @5 Q8 a: y. ?; \4 m: s, gWang, 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.( ^" V6 N5 c* V5 h* X
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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.4 w1 V3 ]# U# h4 v! A4 W5 Y
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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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/ H7 C( J) G" ?$ I" U- S. vHe 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.5 U" n+ Y A" M& [
+ Y/ K9 O: _3 m c( [0 O* s( O! l. |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 $350,000. His research explored how overactivity in certain proteins that play an important role in cell growth can be linked to the development of skin and brain cancers.
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U of A spokesman Bryan Alary confirmed in an email that both Wang and Chen are university employees currently on leave.
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The university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.
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“Factors the university would take into account include whether there is a real or perceived connection between the charges and the person’s employment and whether the person’s presence on campus posed a real or perceived danger to the university or members of its community,” he said.
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) k( Y. q( C- p8 eBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail. ~$ G, e) z V3 O a) f7 ^
# _7 A: Z+ f. j$ r9 e' @- Q: RTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.. [9 J h2 R: Z6 q3 b) h7 e5 |0 q7 [
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