Christie M. Sayes, Ph.D.

Professor

Environmental Science

Education

Ph.D., Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX
M.S., Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX
B.S., Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

Appointments

Adjunct Professor with the Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University
Adjunct Professor with the Department of Nanoscience, Joint School, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Past President of the North Carolina Chapter of the Society of Toxicology

Academic and Research Interests

Dr. Christie M. Sayes’s primary research area of interest is environmental health & safety. Currently, she focuses on exposure characterization along the product value chain. She has more than a decade of experience in the fields of nanotechnology and nanotoxicology and has authored numerous publications, including original research, invited reviews and book chapters.

Sayes has proven abilities in providing technical guidance and leadership to students, technicians, and colleagues; a high aptitude for developing complex research projects; substantial training in nanotechnology-related techniques & instruments; significant experience working independently & collaboratively across disciplines and organizations; and excellent communication skills.

The goal of the research performed in her laboratory is to investigate the fate, transformation, and biological effects of individual particles and particle systems. Her group addresses several fundamental issues relevant to the development safe and effective formulations in biological and environmental applications. These issues include material characterization, exposure kinetics, hazard identification and communication, and mechanistic and molecular analyses.

Recent Published Works

Ameh T, Zarzosa K, Dickinson J, Braswell WE, and Sayes CM*. (2023). Nanoparticle surface stabilizing agents influence antibacterial action. Frontiers in Microbiology 1119550 (accepted, in press).

Ameh T, Zarzosa K, Braswell WE, and Sayes CM*. (2023). Customizable nanoparticles for diverse antibacterial strategies. Frontiers in Toxicology 1119547 (accepted, in press).

Al Naggar Y*, Sayes CM, Collom C, Ayorinde T, Qi S, El-Seedi HR, Paxton RJ, Wang K. (2023). Chronic exposure to polystyrene microplastic fragments has no effect. Toxics 2158950 (accepted, in press).

Liu JY and Sayes CM*. (2022). Lung surfactant as a biophysical assay for inhalation toxicology. Current Research in Toxicology Dec 23:100101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crtox.2022.100101

Rothen-Rutishauser B, Gibb M, He R, Petri-Fink A, Sayes CM*. (2022). Human lung cell models to study aerosol delivery – Considerations for model design and development. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Nov 21:106337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejps.2022.106337. PMID: 36410570

Gibb M, Sayes CM*. An in vitro alveolar model allows for the rapid assessment of chemical respiratory sensitization with modifiable biomarker endpoints. Chemico-Biological Interactions 2022 Dec 1;368:110232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2022.110232. PMID: 36309140

Baldovinos Y, Archer A, Salamanca J, Strongin RM, Sayes CM*. Chemical Interactions and Cytotoxicity of Terpene and Diluent Vaping Ingredients. Chemical Research in Toxicology 2022 Oct 24. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrestox.2c00218. PMID: 36279315

Liu JY, Pradhan SH, Hussain S, Sayes CM*. Platform for Exposing Aerosolized Substances to Lung Surfactant and Alveolar Cells at the Air-Liquid Interface. ACS Chemical Health & Safety 2022 Sep 9;29(5):448-54. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chas.2c00033

Ameh T, Gibb M, Stevens MD, Pradhan SH, Braswell WE, and Sayes CM*. (2022). Silver and copper nanoparticles induce oxidative stress in bacteria and mammalian cells. Nanomaterials Jul 14;12(14):2402. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12142402. PMID: 35889626

LiuJY and Sayes CM*. (2022). A Toxicological Profile of Silica Nanoparticles. Toxicology Research 11(4): 565–582. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxres/tfac038. PMID: 36051665. PMCID: PMC9424711

Lujan H, Mulenos MR, Carrasco D, Zechmann B, Sayes CM*. (2022) Engineered Aluminum Nanoparticle Induces Mitochondrial Deformation and is Predicated on Cell Phenotype. Nanotoxicology 24:1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/17435390.2021.2011974. PMID: 35077653

Liu J, Gibb M, Pradhan SH, Sayes CM*. (2022). Synergistic Cytotoxicity of Bromoacetic Acid and Three Emerging Bromophenolic Disinfection Byproducts against Human Intestinal and Neuronal Cells. Chemosphere 287(1):131794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131794. PMID: 34438205

Song S, Johnson KS, Lujan H, Pradhan SH, Sayes CM, Taube JH*. (2021). Nanoliposomal delivery of microRNA-203 suppresses migration of triple-negative breast cancer through distinct target suppression. Non-coding RNA 7(3):45. https://doi.org/10.3390/ncrna7030045. PMID: 34449670. PMCID: PMC8395754

Al Naggar Y*, Brinkmann M, Sayes CM, Al-Kahtani SN, Dar S, El-Sedi HR, Giesy JP, Grünewald B. (2021). “Are Honey Bees at Risk from Microplastics?” Toxics 9:109. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9050109

Patel I, Woodcock J, Beams R, Stranick SJ, Nieuwendaal R, Gilman JW, Mulenos MR, Sayes CM, Salari M, DeLoid G, Demokritou P, Harper B, Harper S, Ong KJ, Shatkin JA, Fox DM*. Fluorescently Labeled Cellulose Nanofibers for Environmental Health and Safety Studies. Nanomaterials. 2021 Apr 15;11(4):1015. doi: 10.3390/nano11041015. PMID: 33921179; PMCID: PMC8071547.

Gibb M, Pradhan SH, Mulenos MR, Lujan H, Liu J, Ede JD, Shatkin JA, Sayes CM*. (2021). “Characterization of a Human In Vitro Intestinal Model for the Hazard Assessment of Nanomaterials Used in Cancer Immunotherapy”. Applied Sciences 11(5):2113. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052113

Sayes CM* and Singal M. (2021). “The link between delivered aerosol dose and inflammatory responses: Exposing a lung Cell Co-Culture system to selected allergens and irritants”. Journal of Aerosol Science 151:105677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2020.105677

Liu J, Mulenos MR, Hockaday WC, Sayes CM, Sharma VK*. (2020). Ferrate(VI) pretreatment of water containing natural organic matter, bromide, and iodide: A potential strategy to control soluble lead release from PbO₂(s). Chemosphere. 2021 Jan 263:128035. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128035. PMID: 33297053.

Liu J, Sayes CM, Sharma VK, Li Y, Zhang X*. Addition of lemon before boiling chlorinated tap water: A strategy to control halogenated disinfection byproducts. Chemosphere. 2021 Jan 263:127954. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127954. Epub 2020 Aug 13. PMID: 32854008; PMCID: PMC8134856.

Ede JD, Ong KJ, Mulenos MR, Pradhan S, Gibb M, Sayes CM*, Shatkin JA. Physical, chemical, and toxicological characterization of sulfated cellulose nanocrystals for food-related applications using in vivo and in vitro strategies. Toxicology Research 2020 Dec 3;9(6):808-822. doi: 10.1093/toxres/tfaa082. PMID: 33447365; PMCID: PMC7786165.

Mulenos MR, Lujan H, Pitts LR, Sayes CM*. Silver Nanoparticles Agglomerate Intracellularly Depending on the Stabilizing Agent: Implications for Nanomedicine Efficacy. Nanomaterials. 2020 Sep 30;10(10):1953. doi: 10.3390/nano10101953. PMID: 33007984; PMCID: PMC7601179.

Liu J, Li Y, Jiang J, Zhang X, Sharma VK, Sayes CM*. Effects of ascorbate and carbonate on the conversion and developmental toxicity of halogenated disinfection byproducts during boiling of tap water. Chemosphere. 2020 Sep;254:126890. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126890. Epub 2020 Apr 24. PMID: 32957290; PMCID: PMC8056440.

Liu J, Olson C, Qiu N, Sayes CM*. Differential Cytotoxicity of Haloaromatic Disinfection Byproducts and Lead Co-exposures against Human Intestinal and Neuronal Cells. Chemical Research in Toxicology 2020 Sep 21;33(9):2401-2407. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00157. Epub 2020 Sep 2. PMID: 32803957.

Pradhan SH, Mulenos MR, Steele LR, Gibb M, Ede JD, Ong KJ, Shatkin JA, Sayes CM*. Physical, chemical, and toxicological characterization of fibrillated forms of cellulose using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and co-culture model. Toxicology Research 2020 May 20;9(3):290-301. doi: 10.1093/toxres/tfaa026. PMID: 32670560; PMCID: PMC7329166.

Liu J, Lujan H, Dhungana B, Hockaday WC, Sayes CM, Cobb GP, and Sharma VK*. (2020). "Ferrate(VI) pretreatment before disinfection: An effective approach to controlling unsaturated and aromatic halo-disinfection byproducts in chlorinated and chloraminated drinking waters.” Environment International 1(138):105641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105641

Lujan H, Romer E, Salisbury R, Hussain S, Sayes CM*. Determining the Biological Mechanisms of Action for Environmental Exposures: Applying CRISPR/Cas9 to Toxicological Assessments. Toxicological Sciences 2020 May 1;175(1):5-18. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfaa028. PMID: 32105327.

Salazar-Medina AJ, Velazquez-Contreras EF, Sugich-Miranda R, Santacruz H, Navarro RE, Rocha-Alonzo F, Islas-Osuna MA, Chen PL, Christian SGB, Romoser AA, Dindot SV, Sayes CM, Sotelo-Mundo RR*, Criscitiello MF. Immune response of human cultured cells towards macrocyclic Fe₂PO and Fe₂PC bioactive cyclophane complexes. PeerJ. 2020 Apr 20;8:e8956. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8956. PMID: 32341898; PMCID: PMC7179565.

Mulenos MR, Liu J, Lujan H, Guo B, Lichtfouse E, Sharma VK, Sayes CM*. (2020). “Copper, silver, and titania nanoparticles do not release ions under anoxic conditions”. Environmental Chemistry Letters 24:1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-020-00985-z

Ong KJ, Ede JD, Pomeroy-Carter CA, Sayes CM, Mulenos MR, Shatkin JA*. A 90-day dietary study with fibrillated cellulose in Sprague-Dawley rats. Toxicology Reports 2020 Jan 20;7:174-182. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.01.003. PMID: 32021807; PMCID: PMC6994281.

Mulenos MR, Zechmann B, Sayes CM*. Sample preparation utilizing sputter coating increases contrast of cellulose nanocrystals in the transmission electron microscope. Microscopy. 2019 Dec 3;68(6):471-474. doi: 10.1093/jmicro/dfz032. PMID: 31696231.

Friedersdorf LE*, Bjorkland R, Klaper RD, Sayes CM, Wiesner MR. Fifteen years of nanoEHS research advances science and fosters a vibrant community. Nature Nanotechnology. 2019 Nov;14(11):996-998. doi: 10.1038/s41565-019-0574-z. PMID: 31695147.

Ameh T and Sayes CM*. The potential exposure and hazards of copper nanoparticles: A review. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 2019 Oct;71:103220. doi: 10.1016/j.etap.2019.103220. Epub 2019 Jul 5. PMID: 31306862.

McMinn B, Duval AL, Sayes CM*. An Adverse Outcome Pathway Linking Organohalogen Exposure to Mitochondrial Disease. Journal of Toxicology 2019 Apr 1;2019:9246495. doi: 10.1155/2019/9246495. PMID: 31057609; PMCID: PMC6463576.

Lujan H, Criscitiello MF, Hering AS, Sayes CM*. Refining In Vitro Toxicity Models: Comparing Baseline Characteristics of Lung Cell Types. Toxicological Sciences 2019 Apr 1;168(2):302-314. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfz001. PMID: 30657991.

Sharma VK*, Sayes CM, Guo B, Pillai S, Parsons JG, Wang C, Yan B, Ma X. Interactions between silver nanoparticles and other metal nanoparticles under environmentally relevant conditions: A review. Science of the Total Environment 2019 Feb 25;653:1042-1051. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.411. Epub 2018 Nov 3. PMID: 30759545.

Lujan H, Griffin WC, Taube JH, Sayes CM*. Synthesis and characterization of nanometer-sized liposomes for encapsulation and microRNA transfer to breast cancer cells. International Journal of Nanomedicine 2019 Jul 11;14:5159-5173. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S203330. PMID: 31371954; PMCID: PMC6632672.

Stewart M, Mulenos MR, Steele LR, Sayes CM*. (2018). “Differences Among Unique Nanoparticle Protein Corona Constructs: A Case Study Using Data Analytics and Multi-Variant Visualization to Describe Physicochemical Characteristics”. Applied Sciences 8:2669-2684. https://doi.org/10.3390/app8122669

Sayes CM* and Singal M. (2018). “Optimizing a Test Bed System to Assess Human Respiratory Safety After Exposure to Chemical and Particle Aerosolization”. Applied In Vitro Toxicology 4(2): 193. DOI: 10.1089/aivt.2017.0043

Lujan H and Sayes CM*. Cytotoxicological pathways induced after nanoparticle exposure: studies of oxidative stress at the 'nano-bio' interface. Toxicology Research 2017 Jul 13;6(5):580-594. doi: 10.1039/c7tx00119c. PMID: 30090527; PMCID: PMC6062389.

Sharma VK*, Yang X, Cizmas L, McDonald TJ, Luque R, Sayes CM, Yuan B, Dionysiou DD. (2017). “Impact of metal ions, metal oxides, and nanoparticles on the formation of disinfection byproducts during chlorination.” Chemical Engineering Journal 317:777 792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2017.02.071

Sayes CM* and Lujan H. Characterizing the Nano-Bio Interface Using Microscopic Techniques: Imaging the Cell System is Just as Important as Imaging the Nanoparticle System. Current Protocols in Chemical Biology 2017 Sep 14;9(3):213-231. doi: 10.1002/cpch.26. PMID: 28910854.

Benton EN and Sayes CM*. (2017). “Environmental Factors Contribute to the Onset of Food Allergies”. Journal of Environmental Science and Public Health 1(1):27-43. doi: 10.26502/JESPH.003

Sayes CM*, Aquino GV, Hickey AJ. Nanomaterial Drug Products: Manufacturing and Analytical Perspectives. AAPS Journal 2017 Jan;19(1):18-25. doi: 10.1208/s12248-016-0008-x. Epub 2016 Nov 7. PMID: 27822601.

Adegboyega NF, Sharma VK*, Cizmas L, and Sayes CM. (2016). “UV light induces Ag nanoparticle formation: roles of natural organic matter, iron, and oxygen”. Environmental Chemistry Letters 14.3 (2016): 353-357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-016-0577-z

Clippinger AJ*, Ahluwalia A, Allen D, Bonner JC, Casey W, Castranova V, David RM, Halappanavar S, Hotchkiss JA, Jarabek AM, Maier M, Polk W, Rothen-Rutishauser B, Sayes CM, Sayre P, Sharma M, Stone V. Expert consensus on an in vitro approach to assess pulmonary fibrogenic potential of aerosolized nanomaterials. Archives of Toxicology 2016 Jul;90(7):1769-83. doi: 10.1007/s00204-016-1717-8. Epub 2016 Apr 27. PMID: 27121469; PMCID: PMC4894935.

Song BK*, Nugent WH, Sayes CM, Bruce ED. Effects of Novel Oxygen Therapeutic on Systemic and Microcirculatory Variables in Sprague‐Dawley Rat Isovolemic Hemodilution Model. The FASEB Journal. 2016 Apr; 30:946-11. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.946.11

Gueldner J, Sayes C, Abel E, and Bruce E (2016) Emerging Associations of the ALDH2*2 Polymorphism with Disease Susceptibility. Journal of Drug Metabolism & Toxicology 7: 202. doi: 10.4172/2157-7609.100020

Polk WW, Sharma M, Sayes CM, Hotchkiss JA, Clippinger AJ*. Aerosol generation and characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes exposed to cells cultured at the air-liquid interface. Particle and Fibre Toxicology 2016 Apr 23;13:20. doi: 10.1186/s12989-016-0131-y. PMID: 27108236; PMCID: PMC4842292.

Zhang F, Durham P, Sayes CM, Lau BL, Bruce ED*. Particle uptake efficiency is significantly affected by type of capping agent and cell line. Journal of Applied Toxicology 2015 Oct;35(10):1114-21. doi: 10.1002/jat.3138. Epub 2015 Mar 24. PMID: 25809700.

Geraci C*, Heidel D, Sayes C, Hodson L, Schulte P, Eastlake A, Brenner S. Perspectives on the design of safer nanomaterials and manufacturing processes. Journal of Nanoparticle Research 2015 Sep;17(9):366. doi: 10.1007/s11051-015-3152-9. PMID: 26435688; PMCID: PMC4589526.

Zeidan E, Kepley CL, Sayes C, Sandros MG*. Surface plasmon resonance: a label-free tool for cellular analysis. Nanomedicine. 2015;10(11):1833-46. doi: 10.2217/nnm.15.31. PMID: 26080702.

Sooresh A, Sayes CM*, and Pine M. Effects of a novel pesticide-particle conjugate on viability and reactive oxygen species generation in neuronal (PC12) cells. Drug and Chemical Toxicology 2015 Apr;38(2):205-11. doi: 10.3109/01480545.2014.928723. Epub 2014 Jul 14. PMID: 25019282.

Powers CM*, Grieger KD, Beaudrie C, Hendren CO, Davis JM, Wang A, Sayes CM, MacDonnell M, Gift JS. (2015). “Data dialogues: critical connections for designing and implementing future nanomaterial research”. Environment Systems and Decisions 35(1):76-87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-014-9518-1

Sayes CM*, Sooresh A, Meissner KE. (2015). “Physicochemical Characteristics of Two Prototypical Home-Use Consumer Products Containing Engineered Nanomaterials”. Journal of Environmental Analytical Toxicology 5(6):1-9. doi: 10.4172/2161-0525.1000326

christie_sayes@baylor.edu

(254) 710-3469

BSB A.431

The Sayes Group