Overview

My main area of interest is neuromuscular disorders. I have a particular focus on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Neuromuscular disorders involve many disciplines. A greater understanding of genetics is leading to greater knowledge and the potential for more definitive treatment for neuromuscular disorders in childhood.

We are now developing a Canadian Registry of children with DMD and with congenital myotonic dystrophy, and are now involved with clinical trials of new potential treatments.

In view of the fact that these children are now living into adulthood, we are also establishing a protocol for a natural history study of our affected young adults. We wish to ensure we can provide the most appropriate management.

Publications

High prevalence of plasma lipid abnormalities in human and canine Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies depicts a new type of primary genetic dyslipidemia
Journal of Clinical Lipidology
Zoe White and Chady H. Hakim and Marine Theret and N. Nora Yang and Fabio Rossi and Dan Cox and Gordon A. Francis and Volker Straub and Kathryn Selby and Constadina Panagiotopoulos and Dongsheng Duan and Pascal Bernatchez
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacl.2020.05.098
07/2020

Exome Sequencing and the Management of Neurometabolic Disorders.
Tarailo-Graovac M and Shyr C and Ross CJ and Horvath GA and Salvarinova R and Ye XC and Zhang LH and Bhavsar AP and Lee JJ and Drögemöller BI and Abdelsayed M and Alfadhel M and Armstrong L and Baumgartner MR and Burda P and Connolly MB and Cameron J and Demos M and Dewan T and Dionne J
DOI: 10.1056/nejmoa1515792
PubMed: 27276562
06/2016

Canadian Paediatric Neurology Workforce Survey and Consensus Statement.
Doja A and Orr SL and McMillan HJ and Kirton A and Brna P and Esser M and Tang-Wai R and Major P and Poulin C and Prasad N and Selby K and Weiss SK and Yeh EA and Callen DJ
DOI: 10.1017/cjn.2015.360
PubMed: 26787257
05/2016

An analysis of exome sequencing for diagnostic testing of the genes associated with muscle disease and spastic paraplegia.
Dias C and Sincan M and Cherukuri PF and Rupps R and Huang Y and Briemberg H and Selby K and Mullikin JC and Markello TC and Adams DR and Gahl WA and Boerkoel CF
DOI: 10.1002/humu.22032
PubMed: 22311686
04/2012

Hemiplegic migraine, seizures, progressive spastic paraparesis, mood disorder, and coma in siblings with low systemic serotonin.
Horvath GA and Selby K and Poskitt K and Hyland K and Waters PJ and Coulter-Mackie M and Stockler-Ipsiroglu SG
DOI: 10.1177/0333102411420584
PubMed: 22013141
11/2011

A population-based study of dystrophin mutations in Canada.
Mah JK and Selby K and Campbell C and Nadeau A and Tarnopolsky M and McCormick A and Dooley JM and Kolski H and Skalsky AJ and Smith RG and Buckley D and Ray PN and Yoon G
PubMed: 21515508
05/2011

Malaysian siblings with friedreich ataxia and chorea: a novel deletion in the frataxin gene.
Spacey SD and Szczygielski BI and Young SP and Hukin J and Selby K and Snutch TP
PubMed: 15376485
08/2004

Cerebrospinal fluid free choline in movement disorders of paediatric onset.
Pranzatelli MR and Hanin I and Tate E and Kindel G and Bergin A and Brown CM and Habersang P and Habersang R and Mack KJ and Rosenbaum B and Selby KA and Vasconcellos M
DOI: 10.1016/1090-3798(98)01003-3
PubMed: 10726844
1998

Clinical predictors and radiological reliability in atlantoaxial subluxation in Down's syndrome.
Selby KA and Newton RW and Gupta S and Hunt L
DOI: 10.1136/adc.66.7.876
PubMed: 1830735
07/1991

Research

MIT Study – A Retrospective Review of the Diagnostic Outcome of Skeletal Muscle Biopsy for Suspected Mitochondrial Disease at BC Children's Hospital
The study includes a 5 year retrospective chart review of the diagnostic outcome of pediatric patients who have undergone a skeletal biopsy for a suspected mitochondrial disease at BC Children's between January 1998 and June 2003.

The objectives of the study include:

To evaluate the diagnostic outcome of patients who have undergone a skeletal biopsy for a suspected mitochondrial disease for quality assurance purposes
To determine the number of patients that received a diagnosis of mitochondrial disease using other diagnostic tests
To identify patients’ factors that predict a higher skeletal muscle biopsy yield
To establish detailed demographic and clinical patient database

PTC-DMD Study - A Phase 2b Efficacy and Safety Study of PTC124 in Subjects with Nonsense-Mutation-Mediated Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy
The development of PTC124 offers a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of genetic disorders: coupling the identification of patients with a specific type of genetic defect with a small-molecule therapy that has the potential to correct the phenotypic expression of that genetic defect.

We hypothesize that the mean change in 6MWD from Day 1 (Visit 3 – Baseline) to Week 48 (Visit 11 – End-of-Treatment) will be 30 meters longer in at least one of the PTC124 arms than in the placebo arm. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the ability of PTC124 to improve ambulation as assessed by change in 6MWD.

Honours & Awards

The Laura MacRae Award, 1995

Research Group Members

Tim Tan, Summer Student