Faculty & Staff Directory
Ozlem Dilek
- Assistant Professor
Contact Info
- Name
- Ozlem Dilek
- Preferred Pronouns
- she/her
- Job Title
- Assistant Professor
- Phone Number
- Office Number
- 1022 Institute for Advanced Biomedical Institute, SciTech
Affiliations
Departments
- Chemistry & Biochemistry Department (Research Faculty)
- Chemistry & Biochemistry Department (Instructional Faculty)
Research Areas
- Biomedical Research
- Bioorganic Chemistry
- Chemical Biology
Education
PhD, Chemistry/Chemical Biology, State University of New York at Binghamton (2009)
MSc, Organic Chemistry, Middle East Technical University (2001)
BSc, Chemistry, Middle East Technical University (1997)
About
My research interests focus on development of novel fluorescent probes technologies for selective cellular imaging of biomolecules in human diseases. Examples of technologies that drive our research are bioorthogonal click chemistry, diagnostics and metal sensing.
Current Research
The goal of our laboratory is to develop transformative fluorescent probe and click chemistry technologies leveraging our laboratory’s unique multidisciplinary strengths in organic synthesis, fluorescence spectroscopy and cell biology. We also pursue diagnostic applications of our developed tools to particularly to cancer and other human diseases in our own laboratory and through collaborations. Our research is broadly divided into three areas: (1) developing fluorescent tools using click chemistry for imaging cancer and other human diseases ; (2) developing new visible-light photocatalysis methods for pro-drug conjugation systems; and (3) developing fluorescent imaging metals in biological systems.
Teaching Focus
Biochemistry, Chemical Biology and Biomedical Sciences.
Selected Publications
Dilek O., “Current probes for imaging carbonylation in cellular systems and their relevance to progression of diseases” Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment, 2022, 1, 15330338221137303.
Erkan H., Telci D., Dilek O., “Bioorthogonal smart probe for fluorescent imaging of carbonyl moieties in live cells” Scientific Reports, 2020, 10, 7668.
Dilek O., Sorrentino M. A*., Bane, S. “Intramolecular Catalysis of Hydrazone Formation by Phosphate” SynLett, 2016, 27(09): 1335-1338.
Dilek O., Lei Z., Mukherjee K., Bane, S. “Rapid formation of a stable boron–nitrogen heterocycle in dilute, neutral aqueous solution for bioorthogonal coupling reactions” Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 16992-16995.
Dilek O., Bane SL, “Synthesis fluorescent boron dipyrromethenes for bioorthogonal labeling” Tetrahedron Letters, 2008, 49, 1413.
Awards
2022 Recipient of Cohort 2022-2023 ASCB-FRED Program (NSF Faculty Research and Education Development)
2021 Recipient of Cohort 2021/2023 ASCB- ACT (Accomplishing Career Transitions) Program
2021 Faculty Award “Scholar of Promise”, University of the District of Columbia
2014 EMBL-EMBO Chemical Biology, Corporate Partnership Program Fellowship
2010 American Chemical Society (ACS) Zappert Award “Outstanding PhD Student Award”
Challenges and opportunities in maintaining research momentum at a primarily undergraduate institution
In collaboration with Dr. Mariana Torrente, Dr. Dilek publishes a paper on maintaining research momentum at a primarily undergraduate institution in Molecular Biology of the Cell.
Contact Info
- Name
- Ozlem Dilek
- Preferred Pronouns
- she/her
- Job Title
- Assistant Professor
- Phone Number
- Office Number
- 1022 Institute for Advanced Biomedical Institute, SciTech