Meet Research Grant Recipient: Devin McBride, PhD

Dr. Devin McBride is the recipient of the Thomas J. Tinlin Chair of Research for $30,000 and the Boston Marathon and Danielle Guzman Chair of Research for $35,000.

BAF: Please tell us your background, where you are from, schooling, etc.

DM: Dr. McBride received his Ph.D. from the University of California Riverside under the mentorship of Dr. Victor G. J. Rodgers where his research focused on understanding the phenomena of crowded protein osmotic pressure and its applications to medical devices. During his Ph.D., he received a number of Fellowships, including an NSF IGERT Fellowship in Video Bioinformatics and a DOE GAANN Fellowship. His postdoctoral training occurred under the tutelage of Dr. John H. Zhang at Loma Linda University where he studied translational neuroscience research with an emphasis on cerebrovascular disease. During his postdoctoral work, Dr. McBride received an NIH F32 award from NHLBI to develop and study an animal model of vasovagal syncope. He has also co-authored several papers in the fields of engineering and neuroscience.

In 2017, Dr. McBride joined the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery as an Assistant Professor where he has been investigating the potential therapeutic benefits of preventing micro-clots after subarachnoid hemorrhage. His research has been funded by grants from the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and industry.

BAF: What led you to become involved with brain aneurysm research?

DM: My postdoctoral training in translation research related to cerebrovascular disease led me to become interested in secondary injuries following stroke. I transitioned into the field of brain aneurysm and subarachnoid hemorrhage when I began my faculty appointment at UTHealth. I am intrigued by the secondary injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage and am utilizing my expertise to uncouple the mechanisms of delayed injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage, as well as investigate novel treatments.

BAF: In the simplest terms, what is the purpose of your project?

DM: The purpose of this project is to examine if markers of neutrophil extracellular traps can predict which SAH patients are at risk for developing delayed cerebral ischemia which has a high morbidity and affects about one third of SAH patients. Currently, it is not known who is at-risk of developing delayed cerebral ischemia, and thus it is very difficult to prevent. We hope to identify a marker(s) that can be tested in the hospital to determine who may develop delayed cerebral ischemia, allowing for preventative measures to be taken.

BAF: In the simplest terms, what do you hope will change through your research findings?

DM: My hope is that my research can identify treatment targets that can improve patient outcomes.

BAF: Why is the funding you are receiving through the Brain Aneurysm Foundation so important?

DM: As a new investigator, this funding is critical for the development of my research footprint and will provide much-needed funding to collect preliminary data for larger grants. To date, the previous BAF funding I have received allowed me to identify two markers which are potential candidates for identifying who is at-risk for developing delayed cerebra ischemia. In this proposal, we are going to determine if these markers are robust and can be validated. If successful, this project will move our idea towards clinical translation.

Pictured above are Dr. McBride’s research posters, “NETs as a Biomarker of Delayed Deficits after SAH” and “Neutrophil Phenotype Predicts Delayed Deficits After SAH”