Throughout my medical training, I developed an interest in translational research. I studied neurotransmitter receptors in the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. During my clinical years training, I studied the use of echocardiography to determine cardiac function in normal and mutagenized fetal mice. I was the principle investigator in a trial studying the use of portable echocardiography by critical care medicine physicians. I received a grant to analyze tissue Doppler images and better determine ventricular diastolic function in pediatric patients. I joined the faculty of Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC) in July 2004 as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and was awarded the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Child Health Research Career Development Award to study cardiomyopathy in mouse models of muscular dystrophy, including Duchenne (DMD). During this time, I worked closely with my mentors, Drs. Eric Hoffman, Ph.D. and Kanneboyina Nagaraju, DVM, Ph.D., in the Research Center for Genetic Medicine at CNMC. Since completion of this award, I obtained pilot study funding from both the Wellstone Center for Muscular Dystrophy Research and the CNMC Research Advisory Council to further study DMD cardiomyopathy. I was also awarded funding by the Muscular Dystrophy Association as principal investigator to study the role of toll-like receptors and the innate immune system in the development of DMD cardiomyopathy. I lectured on the cardiomyopathy related to DMD internationally and authored a book chapter reviewing cardiac defects in neuromuscular diseases. Clinically, I see patients in the DMD cardiac clinic monthly and work closely with the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group (CINRG) which is based at CNMC developing clinical protocols for DMD patients.
Additional Education
- Presbyterian Hospital Residency 1998-2001 Pediatrics
- CNMC Fellowship 2001-2004 Cardiology
Research
Cardiomyopathy associated with muscular dystrophy
I am involved with a number of studies that investigate different pathways involved in DMD cardiomyopathy. Using high frequency echocardiography and multiple non-invasive measures of skeletal muscle function, we have tested potential therapeutic agents in the Pre-clinical murine drug testing facility here at CNMC, directed by Dr. Nagaraju. Using the pre-clinical data obtained, we are developing clinical trials through the CINRG network to test these drugs DMD patients.
Oxidative stress and cardiomyopathy in iron overload
Working with Dr. Weglicki from the Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, I evaluate cardiac function and markers of oxidative stress in cardiac tissue from mouse and rat models treated with iron dextran.
Exercise capacity in young adults
I am involved with clinical protocols investigating exercise capacity and genetic markers related to the early development of type II diabetes in adolescents and young adults.
Selected peer-reviewed publications:
- Spurney CF, Leatherbury L, Lo CW. High-frequency ultrasound database profiling growth, development, and cardiovascular function in C57BL/6J mouse fetuses. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2004; 17 (8):893-900.
- Spurney CF, Sable CA, Berger JT et al. Use of a hand-carried ultrasound device by critical care physicians for the diagnosis of pericardial effusions, decreased cardiac function, and left ventricular enlargement in pediatric patients. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2005; 18 (4):313-9.
- Spurney C. Myocardial Disease. In: A Slonim; M Pollack, editors, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2006; p. 633-8.
- Spurney CF, Lo CW, Leatherbury L. Fetal mouse imaging using echocardiography: A review of current technology. Echocardiography 2006; 23 (10): 891-899.
- Spurney CF, Knoblach S, Pistilli EE, Nagaraju K, Martin GR, Hoffman EP. Dystrophin deficient cardiomyopathy in mice: Expression of Nox4 and Lox are associated with fibrosis and altered functional parameters in the heart. Neuromuscul Dis 2008; 18: 371-381.
- Wu B, Moulton HM, Iversen PL, Jiang J, Li J, Li J, Spurney CF, Sali A, Guerron AD, Nagaraju K, Doran T, Lu P, Xiao X, Lu QL. Effective rescue of dystrophin improves cardiac function in dystrophin-deficient mice by a modified morpholino oligomer. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2008 Sep 30; 105(39): 14814-9. Epub 2008 Sep 19.
- Spurney CF, Gordish-Dressman H, Guerron AD, Sali A, Pandey GS, Rawat R, et al. Preclinical drug trials in the mdx mouse: Assessment of reliable and sensitive outcome measures. Muscle Nerve 2009; 39(5):591-602.
- Kramer JH, Spurney C, Iantorno M, Tziros C, Mak IT, Tejero-Taldo MI, Chmielinska JJ, Komarov AM, Weglicki WB. Neurogenic inflammation and cardiac dysfunction due to hypomagnesemia. Am J Med Sci 2009; 338(1): 22-27.
- Weglicki WB, Chmielinska JJ, Tejero-Taldo I, Kramer JH, Spurney CF, Viswalingham K, Lu B, Mak IT. Neutral endopeptidase inhibition enhances substance P mediated inflammation due to hypomagnesemia. Magnes Res. 2009; 22(3): 167S-173S.
- Levin MD, Lu MM, Petrenko NB, Hawkins BJ, Gupta TH, Lang D, Buckley PT, Jochems J, Liu F, Spurney CF, Yuan LJ, Jacobson JT, Brown CB, Huang L, Beermann F, Margulies KB, Madesh M, Eberwine JH, Epstein JA, Patel VV. Melanocyte-like cells in