Sidra Sarwat

Sidra Sarwat

PhD Candidate
Supervisors: Dr Maitreyee Roy, Prof Fiona Stapleton, Prof Mark Willcox, and Prof Richard Tilley
In vitro & in vivo bioimaging of tear film using silicon quantum dots

Abstract                       

Dry eye disease (DED) is one of the most common ocular conditions worldwide and affects up to 50% of the population. DED causes several biochemical and biophysical changes in the tear film, but how these changes impact clinical signs and tear film stability is still unknown. As precorneal tear film has a significant role in DED, any change in composition or properties of tear lipids is strongly related to DED. Hence, it is paramount to study the dynamic interactions of tear film layers at the nanoscale.

Quantum dots (QDs) have been used for treating uveal melanoma, tracking uveal flow during the treatment of glaucoma, and better visualisation during vitrectomy. They are nano-meter size particles that emit discrete wavelengths of light due to quantum size effects with the bright and stable fluorescence emission. Silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) can be used as a biological marker to study the dynamics of tear film lipids due to their optimal fluorescence, biocompatibility, and ability to modify their surfaces.

The project’s first phase synthesises fluorescent Si-QDs doped with scandium. The initial surface chemistries will be used to probe hydrophilic and hydrophobic effects. Oligo (ethylene oxide) species will be used to create QDs, giving them a highly hydrophilic, almost hydrogel-type layer to explore the residence time of QDs in the tear film. Finally, phosphorylcholine groups will be added to make the QDs a phospholipid vesicle that can interact with the phospholipids in the tear film.

The project’s second phase is based on the feasibility study of using Si-QDs for ophthalmic applications. Si-QDs with varying surface chemistries, lipophilic or hydrophilic, will be applied to rabbits’ eyes. Plotting the decay in the fluorescence signal will allow us to estimate the turnover of the lipid layer of the tear film in comparison with the aqueous layer. Furthermore, this study will enable us to examine the rabbit’s eye directly for any possible ocular and systematic toxic effects of the Si-QDs.

Biography

Sidra Sarwat is a PhD candidate and an associate lecturer at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW. She received her bachelor’s degree in Optometry from Pakistan and her MSc from UNSW, Australia. During her PhD, Sidra is optimising Silicon QDs to study the dynamics of the tear film. Her research received funding and produced peer-reviewed publications, research excellence awards, and conference presentations. Additionally, she has five years of teaching experience at the graduate and postgraduate levels at UNSW. She also serves as a reviewer for various peer-reviewed optometry journals.

Education

PhD Candidate, UNSW (2019-2024)

Master of Science by Research UNSW, Australia (2019)

Foundations of University Learning and Teaching, UNSW Australia (2019)

Bachelor of Optometry & Orthoptics, Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan (2014)
Email

s.sarwat@unsw.edu.au

Publications

  1. Sidra Sarwat, Fiona Stapleton, Mark Willcox, Peter B. O’Mara, Richard Tilley, J. Justin Gooding and Maitreyee Roy. Feasibility of Silicon Quantum Dots as a Biomarker for the Bioimaging of Tear Film. Nanomaterials 2022.
  2. Sidra Sarwat, Ambreen Akhtar, Syeda Fizza Abdud Dayan, Najma Shaheen, Humna Shahid Durrani, Tariq Usman, Tayyab Afghani. Ring Shaped Cataract and Urinary Metabolites Among 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene Exposed Population of Pakistan. International Ophthalmology 2022.
  3. Sidra Sarwat, Michelle Mo, Wing Cheng, Fiona Stapleton, Mark Willcox, Peter O’Mara, Richard D. Tilley, and Maitreyee Roy. Biocompatibility of silicon quantum dots for the bioimaging of tear film. Optometry and Vision Science. Peer-reviewed E abstract, 2022.
  4. Mark D.P. Willcox, Madeeha Afzal, Heba Alenezi, Md Abdullah Aziz, George Enninful, ParthasarathI Kalaiselvan, Mahjabeen Khan, Rajesh Kuppusamy, Simin Masoudi, Shyam Kumar Mishra, Jerome Ozkan, Hari Kumar Peguda, Binod Rayamajhee, Aidin Safvati, Manjulatha Sara, Sidra Sarwat, Shyam Tummanapalli, Umme Laila Urmi, Ajay Kumar Vijay & Muhammad Yasir. The COVID-19 pandemic at two years: Is the end in sight? Contact Lens Spectrum. Issue: 2022.
  5. Sidra Sarwat, Fiona Stapleton, Mark Willcox, and Maitreyee Roy. Quantum dots in Ophthalmology: A literature review. Current Eye Research 2019. (Published as invited review).
  6. Sidra Sarwat, Maitreyee Roy, Peter O’Mara, Richard Tilley, Justin Gooding, Mark Willcox, and Fiona Stapleton. Feasibility of silicon quantum dots to study the dynamics of the tear film lipids. Investigative Ophthalmology & Vision Science. Peer-reviewed E Abstract, 2019.
  7. Sidra Sarwat, Fiona Stapleton; Mark Willcox; Maitreyee Roy; Peter O'Mara; Richard Tilley; Justin Gooding. Optimisation of Zinc Dopped Silicon Quantum Dots to Image Artificial Tears. Optometry and Vision Science. Peer-reviewed E abstract, 2019.
  8. Maitreyee Roy, Sidra Sarwat, Peter O’Mara, Richard Tilley, Justin Gooding, Mark Willcox, and Fiona Stapleton. Imaging of Tear Film Lipids Using Quantum Dots. Computational Optical Sensing and Imaging. Peer-reviewed E Abstract, 2018.
  9. Sidra Sarwat, Peter O’Mara, Mazin Almaimani, Richard Tilley, Justin Gooding, Mark Willcox, Fiona Stapleton and Maitreyee Roy. Imaging of tear film lipids using quantum dots. Optometry and Vision Science. Peer-reviewed E abstract, 2018.
  10. Sidra Sarwat. Prevalence of exophoria among convergence insufficiency patients. International Journal of Science: Basic and applied sciences. Vol 36, No 3 (2017).

Awards

  1. Bert C. & Lydia M. Corwin William C. Ezell Fellowship, American Academy of Optometry Foundation, USA (2022)
  2. Student Travel Grant, American Academy of Optometry Foundation, USA (2022)
  3. ISCLR Student Travel Award International Society for Contact Lens Research, USA (2022)
  4. International Student Travel Award   Australian, Academy of Technology and Engineering (2022)
  5. IMNIS International Mentorship Program, Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (2022)
  6. Best Presentation Award, Research Progress Review, UNSW, Sydney, Australia  (2022)
  7. Dorothy Carlborg CCLSA Research Award, Cornea and Contact lens society of Australia (2021)
  8. ARC Postgraduate Council Student Nominee Award (2021)
  9. Joe and Janet Barr Early Career Cornea and Contact Lens Research Award American Academy of Optometry (2020)
  10. Outstanding Research Student UNSW, Sydney, Australia (2020)
  11. HDR Mentor UNSW, Sydney, Australia (2021-2022)
  12. University International Postgraduate Award UNSW, Sydney, Australia (2019)
  13. Science Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award UNSW, Australia (2019)
  14. Student Travel Fellowship, American Academy of Optometry (2018)
  15. International Student Travel Fellowship UNSW, Sydney, Australia (2018)
  16. Domestic Student Travel Fellowship UNSW, Sydney, Australia (2018)
  17. Teaching Fellowship Award, UNSW, Sydney, Australia (2017-2019)
  18. Best Volunteer Award, Local Initiative for Empowerment KPK, Pakistan (2016)
  19. Appreciation certificate, HQs Bajour Scouts Khar, Pakistan (2015)

Grants

  1. Research grant (AUD 3500), Cornea and Contact Lens Society of Australia (2021)
  2. Joe and Janet Barr Early Career Cornea and Contact Lens Research Award (USD 2000), American Academy of Optometry, USA (2020)
  3. Research grant (USD 2500), Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Pakistan (2018)

Media

Affiliations and Memberships

  1. Society of Optometrists, Orthoptists and Ophthalmic Technologists of Pakistan (SOOOP)  (2016 to date)
  2. American Academy of Optometry (2018 to date)
  3. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (2019 to date)
  4. Cornea & Contact Lens Society of Australia (2019 to date)

Conference Presentations

  1. American Academy of Optometry, Annual Meeting, San Diego, USA (2022)
  2. International Society for Contact Lens Research Symposium, Porto, Portugal (2022)
  3. International Society for Contact Lens Research Symposium, Porto, Portugal (2022)
  4. International Cornea & Contact Lens Congress, Sydney (2022)
  5. Frontiers in Optics and Photonics Biophotonics, Delhi, India (2021)
  6. Optical Society of America, Imaging and Applied Optics, Vancouver, Canada (2021)
  7. American Academy of Optometry, Annual Meeting, San Antonio, USA (2019)
  8. 19th International Microscopy Congress, Sydney, Australia (2019)
  9. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Vancouver, Canada (2019)
  10. International Conference of Nanomedicine, Sydney, Australia (2019)
  11. International conference of nanomedicine, Sydney, Australia (2018)
  12. American Academy of Optometry, Annual Meeting, San Antonio, USA (2018)
  13. Optical Society of America, Imaging and Applied Optics Congress, Orlando, USA (2018)
  14. 15th conference on Optics Within Life Sciences, Rottnest Island, Western Australia (2018)