Researching Singlet Oxygen for the Field of Dentistry

 Samuel Krichavets, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in Biology Neuroscience 

 

In my research project, I was able to work on a very interesting field that is being widely explored and has a promising future. I studied photodynamic application in singlet oxygen. Singlet oxygen has the capability to inactivate bacteria, delivering highly localized singlet oxygen which can be revolutionary to the field of dentistry. As a future dentist, this was invaluable to me because I got a first-hand glimpse into what may be possible in my future profession.

I learned about data science and proper laboratory procedures in research, and I obtained a great mentorship from Dr. Alan Lyons and Dr. Xu, as well as get hands-on experience in the lab. I was able to physically partake in crafting the plastic optical fiber which we made to model a future dental tool. I shaved down the edge of it to create a nice tip for the placement of the PDMS post and photosensitizer particles.  I learned how to operate a laser and placed the plastic optical fibers in the laser with the PDMS posts in a trapping solution, as well as make the trapping solution and dissect the formula for making it. I studied the chemistry and how it worked in actually trapping our singlet oxygen.  I learned how to maneuver a spectrophotometer and used it to quantify how much singlet oxygen was trapped in my experiments.

I became versed in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint because all the data from our experiments had to be extrapolated and organized into charts and more sensible data. I then used this data to create presentations which I shared with my group weekly.  Aside from all of this, I was also able to partake in the undergraduate research conference for two years in a row and present the research that my peers and I worked so hard on. 

Overall my experience was something I will never forget, and it has impacted me in more ways than one. I am forever grateful for having the opportunity and will apply the skills I developed in my dental school research.