Welcome Our Newest Research Team Members!

Paulina Castillo is a Research Coordinator in the Department of Emergency Medicine, with experience supporting sponsored and investigator-initiated clinical trials from her previous work at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, an academic medical center serving the U.S.–Mexico border region. Working with diverse and historically underserved populations, she contributed to Emergency Medicine research, focusing on infectious disease, trauma, and medical device studies, while building expertise in participant enrollment, regulatory compliance, and data integrity.

Paulina holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from The University of Texas at El Paso. Bilingual in English and Spanish, she is passionate about advancing ethical, high-quality clinical research that improves patient care and expands access to innovative therapies. She is committed to growing her career in clinical research with an interest in clinical monitoring, regulatory oversight, and research compliance, helping ensure studies are conducted with the highest standards of quality, integrity, and participant safety.

Linda B. Liu, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Medical Design Innovations (MDI) Laboratory. She received her B.S. in Bioengineering from Rice University and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Wake Forest University. Her doctoral research focused on the development and preclinical testing of local drug-eluting devices for peripheral arterial disease and arteriovenous fistula stenosis. Her professional interests include the research and development of emergency medical devices for airway management and thermoregulation, as well as medical technology innovation and entrepreneurship. She serves as the Program Coordinator for the Medical Device Innovation Germinator (MDIG), a novel innovation clinic and experiential learning program initiated by Drs. Robert De Lorenzo and Lyle Hood. MDIG connects UT San Antonio faculty seeking early-stage medical device design and de-risking services with multidisciplinary student teams.

Research Spotlight for October

Dr. Ng and the Department of Emergency Medicine were awarded a 2024 TRC4 Research Grant for proposal entitled “Assessing Potential Adjunct Medications such as Hydroxocobalamin and Methylene Blue, with REBOA, in the Management of Hemorrhage in a Large Animal (Sus scrofa) Model of Polytrauma.” Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative (TRC4) was established in 2022 with a focus on improving trauma care in the United States.

Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) is a critical intervention for managing severe hemorrhagic shock, especially in trauma cases. The proper placement of a REBOA catheter can help stop and slow rapid bleeding, however, balloon deflation often results in cardiovascular collapse due to ischemia reperfusion injury.

Hydroxocobalamin (HOC) and Methylene Blue (MB) are adjunct therapies that may mitigate these effects. HOC, a vitamin B12 derivative, scavenges nitric oxide and supports vascular tone, while MB, a metabolic enhancer, reduces nitric oxide and improves mitochondrial function.

The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of HOC and MB each in combination with whole blood (WB), to be used as adjunct resuscitative therapies to prevent cardiovascular collapse associated with deflation of a Zone I REBOA balloon after polytrauma in a large animal model (Sus scrofa).

All experiments have been completed, and laboratory (blood and CSF) samples are currently being processed to measure inflammatory biomarkers. Dr. Foster and Dr. Manfrini had direct participation in the lab with the animal experiments. Two abstracts were submitted and accepted to TRC4 2025 symposium and will be presented as posters. An additional abstract was submitted to SAEM and another one planned for MHSRS. The manuscript is in draft.

For more information on the DEM Research, click here.