Cardiology, Cardiac Examinations, Echocardiograms, ECG, Non-invasive & Invasive Surgeries

Meg Sleeper VMD graduated cum laude from the veterinary school of the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. Following an internship in private practice, she returned to the University of Pennsylvania for a residency in cardiology, which was completed in 1997. Since that time, with the exception of 1 year in private practice she has worked in the section of cardiology and has been section chief of cardiology since 2001. In 2008 she was promoted to associate professor of cardiology-clinician educator track.

Her research initially focused on the identification and characterization of juvenile dilated cardiomyopathy in Portuguese water dogs and has led to several ongoing studies, including most recently the evaluation of various candidate genes for use in a therapeutic gene transfer approach to improve cardiac function in failing hearts. Ultimately the goal is to translate this work to gene transfer treatment approaches for canine idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and human heart failure. Studies are also underway evaluating therapeutic gene transfer approaches to treat cardiac and skeletal muscle dysfunction in X-linked muscular dystrophy golden retriever dogs.

Keywords: dilated cardiomyopathy, therapeutic gene transfer, non-human primate cardiology, heart failure

Ponder Katherine P, O'Malley Thomas M, Wang Ping, O'Donnell Patricia A, Traas Anne M, Knox Van W, Aguirre Gustavo A, Ellinwood N Matthew, Metcalf Jason A, Wang Bin, Parkinson-Lawrence Emma J, Sleeper Meg M, Brooks Doug A, Hopwood John J, Haskins Mark E Neonatal gene therapy with a gamma retroviral vector in mucopolysaccharidosis VI cats. Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy 20: 898-907, 2012.

Bish Lawrence T, Sleeper Meg M, Forbes Sean C, Wang Bingjing, Reynolds Caryn, Singletary Gretchen E, Trafny Dennis, Morine Kevin J, Sanmiguel Julio, Cecchini Sylvain, Virag Tamas, Vulin Adeline, Beley Cyriaque, Bogan Janet, Wilson James M, Vandenborne Krista, Kornegay Joe N, Walter Glenn A, Kotin Robert M, Garcia Luis, Sweeney H Lee Long-term restoration of cardiac dystrophin expression in golden retriever muscular dystrophy following rAAV6-mediated exon skipping. Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy 20: 580-9, 2012.

Arndt Jason, Werner Petra, Sleeper Meg Primary infundibular stenosis and pedigree analysis in three Golden Retriever littermates. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 48: 50-3, 2012.

Bish Lawrence T, Sleeper Meg M, Forbes Sean C, Morine Kevin J, Reynolds Caryn, Singletary Gretchen E, Trafny Dennis, Pham Jennifer, Bogan Janet, Kornegay Joe N, Vandenborne Krista, Walter Glenn A, Sweeney H Lee Long-term systemic myostatin inhibition via liver-targeted gene transfer in golden retriever muscular dystrophy. Human gene therapy 22: 1499-509, 2011.

Boddy K N, Sleeper M M, Sammarco C D, Weisse C, Ghods S, Litt H I Cardiac magnetic resonance in the differentiation of neoplastic and nonneoplastic pericardial effusion. Journal of veterinary internal medicine / American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine 25: 1003-9, 2011.

Gao Guangping, Bish Lawrence T, Sleeper Meg M, Mu Xin, Sun Lan, Lou You, Duan Jiachuan, Hu Chunyan, Wang Li, Sweeney H Lee Transendocardial delivery of AAV6 results in highly efficient and global cardiac gene transfer in rhesus macaques. Human gene therapy 22: 979-84, 2011.

Bell Peter, Gao Guangping, Haskins Mark E, Wang Lili, Sleeper Meg, Wang Huan, Calcedo Roberto, Vandenberghe Luk H, Chen Shu-Jen, Weisse Chick, Withnall Elanor, Wilson James M Evaluation of adeno-associated viral vectors for liver-directed gene transfer in dogs. Human gene therapy 22: 985-97, 2011.

Staffieri Francesco, Sleeper Margaret, Larenza Maria Paula Increases in heart rate and systolic blood pressure in anesthetized dogs affected with X-linked muscular dystrophy after cisatracurium administration: a retrospective study. Paediatric anaesthesia 21: 900-6, 2011.

Bish Lawrence T, Sleeper Meg M, Reynolds Caryn, Gazzara Jeffrey, Withnall Elanor, Singletary Gretchen E, Buchlis George, Hui Daniel, High Katherine A, Gao Guangping, Wilson James M, Sweeney H Lee Cardiac gene transfer of short hairpin RNA directed against phospholamban effectively knocks down gene expression but causes cellular toxicity in canines. Human gene therapy 22: 969-77, 2011.

Sleeper Meg, Bish Lawrence T, Haskins Mark, Ponder Katherine P, Sweeney H Lee Status of therapeutic gene transfer to treat cardiovascular disease in dogs and cats. Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology 13: 131-40, 2011.

Cote, E., MacDonald, K. A., Meurs, K. M., Sleeper, M. M. Feline cardiology : xiii + 498, 2011.

BS (English/Biology) Ursinus College, 1989

VMD University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, 1993