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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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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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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.0 }" P+ j, x! k% a: u
/ N& Q7 I W GThe same victim, a girl under the age of 16, is listed in both cases. E' m) m) m* q( I/ J
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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.# j4 D# ~& Y' Y# U8 `
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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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% T; u# q* h } _6 U4 j; ?: NAccording 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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! f- n+ S+ g* v) e5 DAt 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.) K! c: L# P$ o6 t
$ {' {2 g; n |0 fWang’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.8 a8 f& G: z2 E# N% S% d7 T! \
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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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4 u3 \* \' x/ e9 u) vThe university considers cases where an employee is charged criminally on a case-by-case basis, Alary said.# g5 G/ O5 U) d4 X
; ^& l* A0 I& X“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.1 ]+ s S( E# v
! F' _1 W; Y( W* f4 [4 F- \7 kBoth Chen and Wang made their first appearance in Edmonton court on Feb. 14 and were released on bail.
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2 S8 g: N9 _" \, Z+ UTheir next court appearance is scheduled for March 13.
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