Crystal Lewis

Graduate Student, Stony Brook University

Inorganic Chemistry

AGEP-T FRAME Research Mentor: Dr. Stanislaus Wong                                           

Email: Crystal.Lewis@stonybrook.edu

Crystal Lewis is a native of Mandeville, Jamaica. She migrated to the United States at 8 years old and subsequently earned a BS in Biochemistry. She began a research internship at Ohio State University where she worked on multifunctional lipoplex nanoparticles for theranostic applications. As an undergrad, she continued her research on biocompatible nanofibers for drug delivery. Currently she is a PhD Candidate at Stony Brook University studying Inorganic Chemistry.

Seminar Title: The Potential Use of Iron Oxide (α-Fe2O3) Nanorhombohedra in CNS Therapy.

Description: Microglia are the first line of defense in the central nervous system during severe injury or disease. Nanomaterials, such as hematite (α-Fe2O3) nano-rhombohedra (N-Rhomb), have shown promise in the area of therapeutics and diagnostics due to their magnetic properties. Hence, the exposure of microglia to these nanostructures to represents a research area of significant interest. To analyze the effect of nanoparticles on microglia in more detail, we have synthesized Rhodamine B (RhB) labeled-α-Fe2O3 N-Rhomb, possessing lengths of 47 ± 10 nm and widths of 35 ± 8 nm. Exposure of the cultured microglia cells to RhB-labeled α-Fe2O3 N-Rhomb was observed and studied as a function of concentration, and our results demonstrated an increase in both cellular iron content and cellular fluorescence, as noted using transmission electron microscopy and confocal microscopy, respectively. Under these experimental conditions, the cells maintained a functional viability of ~80% or higher, and hence, represent a promising potential platform for central nervous system (CNS) therapy.

Publications:

“Synthesis, Characterization, and Formation Mechanism of Crystalline Cu and Ni Metallic Nanowires under Ambient, Seedless, Surfactantless Conditions.” Crystal S. Lewis, Lei Wang, Haiqing Liu, Jinkyu Han, and Stanislaus Wong. Crystal Growth & Design. 2014. 14(8), pp. 3825–3838.