Penn Veterinary Medicine | University of Pennsylvania

Description of Research Expertise

The focus of my lab is to improve the characterization and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases by studying naturally-occurring feline and canine models of human diseases. We currently maintain breeding colonies that produce cats affected with Niemann-Pick type C disease and dog affected with globoid cell leukodystrophy. Our lab develops and identifies ante mortem biochemical and nuclear magnetic resonance markers of disease severity and progression and uses these markers to evaluate the efficacy of gene therapy, cell-based therapy, and pharmacotherapy to treat disease. Our recent work focuses on the effect of cyclodextrin administration on cholesterol storage in the nervous system and the importance of glycosphingolipid storage on the pathogenesis of Niemann-Pick type C disease.

Description of Clinical Expertise

My interests focus on diseases of the brain including epilepsy, neurodegenerative processes, and neurodevelopmental processes. My clinical expertise focuses on improving the diagnosis of disease using nuclear magnetic resonance methods and clinical trials to assess the efficacy of new therapies for currently untreatable disease. I also have specific interests in vestibular dysfunction and myotonia congenita.

Selected Publications

Vite CH, Magnitsky S, Aleman D, O’Donnell P, Cullen K, Ding W, Pickup S, Wolfe JH, Poptani H. : Apparent diffusion coefficient reveals gray and white matter disease and T2 mapping detects white matter disease in the brain in feline alpha-mannosidosis. American Journal of Neuroradiology 29: 308-313, 2008.

Vite CH, Ding W, Bryan C, O'Donnell P, Cullen K, Aleman D, Haskins ME, Van Winkle T: Electrophysiological, and Serum Biochemical Measures of Progressive Neurological and Hepatic Dysfunction in Feline Niemann-Pick Type C Disease Ped Res 64: 544-549, 2008.

Troxel MT, Vite CH. : CT-guided stereotactic brain biopsy using the Kopf stereotactic system Vet Radiol Ultra 49: 438-443, 2008.

Traas A, Wang P, Ma X, Tittiger M, Schaller L, O’Donnell P, Sleeper MM, Vite C, Herati R, Aquirre GD, Haskins M, Ponder KP. : Correction of clinical manifestations of canine mucopolysaccharidosis I with neonatal retroviral vector gene therapy Molec Therapy 15: 1423-31, 2007.

Troxel MT, Drobatz KJ, Vite CH. : Signs of neurological dysfunction in dogs with central versus peripheral vestibular disease. J Am Vet Med Assoc 227(4): 570-574, 2005.

Vite CH, McGowan JC, Niogi S, Passini MA, Drobatz KJ, Haskins ME, Wolfe JH. : Effective gene therapy for an inherited diffuse CNS disease in a large animal model. Ann Neurol 57: 355–364, 2005.

Marioni K, Vite CH, Newton AL, Van Winkle TJ. : Feline spinal cord disease: differential diagnoses and their relative incidence J Vet Intern Med 18: 851-8, 2004.

Vite CH, Passini MA, Haskins ME, Wolfe JH: Adeno-associated virus vector-mediated transduction in the cat brain. Gene Therapy 10: 1874-1881, 2003.

Troxel MT, Vite CH, Van Winkle TJ, Newton AL, Tiches D-M, Dayrell-Hart BL, Kapatkin AS, Shofer FS, Steinberg SA. : Feline intracranial neoplasia: retrospective review of 160 cases (1985-2001). J Vet Intern Med 17: 107-116, 2003.

Vite CH, McGowan JC, Braund KG, Drobatz KJ, Glickson JD, Wolfe JH, Haskins ME. : Histopathology, electrodiagnostic testing, and magnetic resonance imaging show significant peripheral and central nervous system myelin abnormalities in the cat model of alpha-mannosidosis. J Neuropath Exp Neurol 60: 817-28, 2001.