Comparative Neuromuscular Laboratory

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Dr. Diane Shelton

  • Diane Shelton, D.V.M, PhD, DACVIM, is a graduate of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Michigan State University and a residency in small animal internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a PhD in Comparative Pathology at UC Davis followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA in the laboratory of Dr. Jon Lindstrom, with an emphasis on experimental and naturally occurring models of myasthenia gravis. In 1990, Dr. Shelton established the Comparative Neuromuscular Laboratory (CNL) in the School of Medicine, UC San Diego, an international reference center for the study of spontaneously occurring neuromuscular diseases in companion animals. Currently she is Director of the CNL and Professor, Department of Pathology at UCSD.

  • Recent Publications from the Comparative Neuromuscular Laboratory


  • Sarcoglycan A mutation in miniature dachshund dogs causes limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2D
    In: Skeletal Muscle. 2021 Jan 7;11(1):2.

  • Pathogenic variants in COL6A3 cause Ullrich-like congenital muscular dystrophy in young Labrador retriever dogs
    In: Neuromuscular Disorders 2020 May;30(5):360-367.

  • Tandem duplication within the DMD gene in Labrador Retrievers with a mild clinical phenotype
    In: Neuromuscular Disorders 2022;32(10) 836-841.

  • Muscular dystrophy-dystrolycanopathy in a family of Labrador retrievers with a LARGE1 mutation

    In: Neuromuscular Disorders 2021 31(11) 1169-1178

About the Laboratory

  • Welcome to the Comparative Neuromuscular Laboratory located in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. This laboratory, established in 1990, is an international reference center dedicated to the diagnosis and study of spontaneous neuromuscular diseases in companion animals. Specialized testing performed in this laboratory includes evaluation of muscle and peripheral nerve biopsies by state-of-the-art methods, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence staining and immunoblotting for the diagnosis of various muscular dystrophies and other congenital myopathies. Read More »












  • A mutation in the mitochondrial aspartate/glutamate carrier leads to a more oxidizing intramitochondrial environment and an inflammatory myopathy in Dutch shepherd dogs

    In: Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases 2019;6(4):485-50
  • Congenital myasthenic syndrome in Golden retrievers is associated with a novel COLQ mutation
    In: Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2020;34(1):258-265.
  • Muscular Dystrophies and Identification of New Variants

    In: Genes (Basel). 2023 Jul 29;14(8):1557.

     

    Variants in CLCN1 and PDE4C Associated with Muscle Hypertrophy, Dysphagia, and Gait Abnormalities in Young French Bulldogs

    In: Animals 2024, 14, 722.

    https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050722


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News and Updates

Important information

We may periodically experience short delays due to Covid related staff illness and supply chain shortages. Please have patience as we aim to provide the best services possible.

10/24/22
Due to technical problems and supply chain issues, we will no longer offer plasma lactate and pyruvate testing. These tests are being removed from our submission form. 

2024  Submission forms

Please note that beginning January 1, 2024, the Comparative Neuromuscular Laboratory will be increasing the price of all tests. The 2024 sample submission form and instruction sheet is now available for download.

Closure dates

11/28/2024 - 11/29/2024
In observation of Thanksgiving, the Comparative Neuromuscular Laboratory will be closed Thursday, November 28th, and Friday, November 29th.

2024-2025 Holiday Closure Dates
The laboratory will be closed Monday, December 23, 2024, through Wednesday, January 1, 2025. We will reopen on Thursday, January 2, 2025.
Due to the holiday schedule and campus building closures, we request that no tissue samples (muscle and nerve biopsies) be submitted between December 20, 2024, and January 1, 2025. Shipment of serum samples via an overnight service can proceed until December 20, 2024. To ensure serum sample viability during the laboratory closure, please keep the samples refrigerated and only ship samples once the laboratory has reopened. Shipment of tissue and serum samples via an overnight service can resume on Thursday, January 2, 2025.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our laboratory (musclelab@ucsd.edu or 858-534-1537).

 


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