Sletten, Ellen M.

Organic

Sletten Ellen

Short Biography

The Prof. Ellen Sletten received her BS in Chemistry from Stonehill College in 2006.  She pursued her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley with Prof. Carolyn Bertozzi.  Her thesis work involved the optimization and development of bioorthogonal chemistries and their subsequent applications in labeling living systems.  Upon graduation in 2011, Prof. Sletten performed her postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Prof. Tim Swager at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow.  She joined the faculty at UCLA as an Assistant Professor and the John T. McTague Career Development Chair in 2015.

Research Interests

The Sletten Group exploits the unique properties of fluorinated materials to develop diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. Research within the group encompasses an interdisciplinary mix of organic synthesis, fluorous chemistry, chemical biology, nanoscience, supramolecular chemistry, polymer synthesis, photophysics and pharmacology.

Honors & Awards

  • Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Grant, 2024
  • Distinguished Teaching Award, 2023
  • WCC Rising Star Award, 2023
  • Agnes Fay Morgan Research Award, 2022
  • Herbert Newby McCoy Award, 2021
  • ICBS Young Chemical Biologist Award, 2020
  • Young Investigator’s Symposium, 2019
  • ACS PMSE Young Investigator, 2019
  • NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, 2018
  • Hellman Fellows, 2018
  • Alfred P. Sloan Fellow in Chemistry, 2018
  • Glenn T. Seaborg Award (Student selected early career award), 2018
  • Thieme Chemistry Journal Award, 2018
  • ACS-PRF New Doctoral Investigator, 2016
  • John McTague Career Development Chair, 2015–present
  • Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, 2012–2014
  • ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Graduate Fellowship, 2009–2010
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention, 2006, 2007
  • Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, 2004–2006
  • NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates in Chemistry Fellow, 2005
  • Pfizer Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Recipient, 2004

Representative Publications

  • Lin, H.H.; Lim, I.; Sletten, E.M.* “Counterion exchange enhances the brightness and photostability of a fluorous cyanine dye.” Chem. Eur. J. 2024, e202402514.
  • Wilson, Q.D.; Lin, H.H.; Lin, E.Y.; Chen, L.; Sletten, E.M.* “Flavylium merocyanine dyes: Exploiting the cyanine state for intrinsic labeling of the endoplasmic reticulum.” ChemRxiv. 2024, DOI:10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-c77hn.
  • Garcia, J.A.; Vergara Mendez, A.; Sletten, E.M.* “Biotin-initiated poly(oxazoline)s.” Macromolecules. 2024, 57, 6354-6361.
  • Van de Wouw, H.L.; Yen, S.; Valet, M.; Garcia, J.A.; Vian, A.; Liu, Y.; Pollock, J.; Campàs, O.*; Sletten, E.M.* “Non-ionic fluorosurfactants for droplet-based in vivo applications.” Chemrxiv. 2024, DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-fbpss.
  • Meador, W.E.‡; Lin, E.Y.‡; Lim, I.; Friedman, H.C.; Ndaleh, D.; Shaik, A.K.; Hammer, N.I.; Yang, B.; Caram, J.R.; Sletten, E.M.*; Delcamp, J.H.* “Silicon-RosIndolizine fluorophores with shortwave infrared absorption and emission profiles enable in vivo fluorescence imaging.” Nat. Chem. 2024, 16, 970-978.
  • Ramos, P.; Friedman, H.; Li, B.Y.; Garcia, C.; Sletten, E.M.; Caram, J.R.; Jang, S.J.* “Non-adiabatic derivative couplings through multiple Franck-Condon modes dictate the energy gap law for near and short-wave infrared dye molecules.” J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2024, 15, 1802-1810.
  • Deshmukh, A.P.; Zheng, W.; Chuang, C.; Bailey, A.D.; Williams, J.A.; Sletten, E.M.; Egelman, E.H.; Caram, J.R.* “Near-atomic-resolution structure of J-aggregated helical light-harvesting nanotubes.” Nat. Chem. 2024, 16, 800-808.
  • Wilson, Q.D.; Sletten, E.M.* “Engineering cyanine cyclizations for new fluorogenic probes.” Nat. Chem. 2023, 16, 3-5.
  • Vian, A.; Pochitaloff, M.; Yen, S.-T.; Kim, S.; Pollock, J.; Liu, Y.; Sletten, E.M.; Campás, O.* “In situ quantification of osmotic pressure within living embryonic tissues.” Nat. Commun. 2023, 14, 7023.
  • Lin, F-C.; van de Wouw, H.L.; Campás, O.; Sletten, E.M.; Zink, J.I.* “Synthesis of fluorous ferrofluids and effects of the nanoparticle coatings on field-and temperature-dependent magnetizations.” Chem Mater. 2023, 35, 7957-7966.
  • Jia, S.; Lin, E.Y.; Mobley, E.B.; Lim, I. Guo, L.; Kallepu, S.; Low, P.S.; Sletten, E.M.* “Water-soluble chromenylium dyes for shortwave infrared imaging in mice.” Chem. 2023, 9, 3648-3665.
  • Lingg, J.G.P.; Bischof, T.S.; Arús, B.A.; Cosco, E.D.; Sletten, E.M.; Rowlands, C.J.; Bruns, O.; Chmyrov, A.* “Shortwave-infrared line-scan confocal microscope for deep tissue imaging in intact organs.” Laser Photonics Rev. 2023, 17, 2300292.
  • Hartung, K. M.; Sletten, E.M.* “Bioorthogonal chemistry: Bridging chemistry, biology, and medicine.” Chem. 2023, 9, 2095-2109.
  • Lim, I.; Lin, E.Y.; Garcia, J.A.; Jia, S.; Sommerhalter, R.E.; Ghosh, S.K.; Gladysz, J.A.; Sletten, E.M.* “Shortwave infrared fluorofluorophores for multicolor in vivo imaging.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202215200.
  • Arus, B.A.; Cosco, E.D.; Yiu, J.; Balba, I.; Bischof, T.S.; Sletten, E.M.; Bruns, O.T.* “Shortwave infrared fluorescence imaging of peripheral organs in awake and freely moving mice.” Front. Neurosci. 2023, 17, 1135494.
  • Kataki-Anastasakou, A.; Jia, S.; Axtell, J.A.; Sletten, E.M.* “A fluorescent unnatural mannosamine derivative with enhanced emission upon complexation with cucurbit[7]uril.” Isr. J. Chem. 2022, DOI: 10.1002/ijch.202200069.
  • Sica, A.; Hua, A.; Lin, H.H.; Sletten, E.M.; Atallah, T.;* Caram, J.R.* “Spectrally-selective time-resolved emission through Fourier-filtering (STEF).” J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2023, 14, 552-558.
  • Bailey, A.D.; Deshmukh, A.P.; Bradbury, N.C.; Pengshung, M.; Atallah, T.L.; Williams, J.A.; Barotov, U.; Neuhauser, D.; Sletten, E.M.*; Caram, J.R*. “Exploring the design of superradiant J-aggregates from amphiphilic monomer units.” Nanoscale 2023, 15, 3841-3849.
  • Deshmukh, A.; Zheng, W.; Bailey, A.; Williams, J.; Sletten, E.M.; Egelman, E.; Caram, J.R.* “Near-atomic resolution structure of J-aggregated helical light harvesting nanotubes.” ChemRxiv 2022, DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2022-5m8sx.
  • Estabrook, D.A.; Chapman, J.O.; Yen, S-T.; Lin, H.H.; Ng, E.T.; Zhu, L.; van de Wouw, H.L.; Campàs, O.; Sletten, E.M.* “Macromolecular crowding as an intracellular stimulus for responsive nanomaterials.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 16792-16798.
  • Wong, K.C.Y.; Sletten, E.M. “Extending optical chemical tools and technologies to mice by shifting to the shortwave infrared region.” Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 2022, 68, 102131.
  • Jaye, J.; Sletten, E.M. “Recent advances in the preparation of semifluorinated polymers.” Polym. Chem. 2021, 12, 6515-6526.
  • Kataki-Anastasakou, A.; Hernandez, S.; Sletten, E.M. “Cell-surface labeling via bioorthogonal host-guest chemistry.” ACS Chem. Biol. 2021, 16, 2124-2129.
  • Pengshung, M.; Cosco, E.D.; Zhang, Z.; Sletten, E.M. “Counterion pairing effects on a flavylium heptamethine dye.” Photochem. Photobiol. 2022, 98, 303-310.
  • Deshmukh, A.; Geue, N.; Bradbury, N.; Atallah, T.; Chuang, C.; Pengshung, M.; Cao, J.; Sletten, E.; Neuhauser, D.; Caram, J. “Bridging the gap between H- and J-Aggregates: Classification and supramolecular tunability for excitonic band structures in 2-dimensional molecular aggregates.” ChemRxiv 2021, DOI: 10.33774/chemrxiv-2021-ql3b7.
  • Bailey, A.; Deshmukh, A.; Atallah, T.; Barotov, U.; Pengshung, M.; Sletten, E.M.; Caram, J. “Tubular J-aggregates of cyanine dyes in the near-infrared.” ChemRxiv 2021, DOI: 10.33774/chemrxiv-2021-rjmvz.
  • Day, R.A.; Sletten, E.M. “Experimental perspectives on direct visualization of endosomal rupture.” ChemBioChem 2021, 22, 3277-3282.
  • Jia, S.; Sletten, E.M. “Spatiotemporal control of biology: Synthetic photochemistry toolbox with far-red and near-infrared light.” ACS Chem. Biol. 2021, DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00518.
  • Lee, G.Y.; Hu, E.; Rheingold, A.L.; Houk, K.N.; Sletten, E.M. “Arene-perfluoroarene interactions in solution.” J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86, 8425-8436.
  • Jaye, J.A.; Sletten, E.M. “Simple synthesis of fluorinated ene-ynes via in-situ generation of allenes.” Synthesis 2021, 53, A-K.
  • Estabrook, D.A.; Day, R.A.; Sletten, E.M. “Redox‐responsive gene delivery from perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions through cleavable poly(2‐oxazoline) surfactants.” Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed. 2021, 60, 17362-17367.
  • Cosco, E.D.; Lim, I.; Sletten, E.M. “Photophysical properties of indocyanine green in the shortwave infrared region.” ChemPhotoChem 2021, 5, 727-734.
  • Cosco, E.D.; Arus, B.A.; Spearman, A.L.; Atallah, T.L.; Lim, I.; Leland, O.S.; Caram, J.R.; Bischof, T.S. Bruns, O.T.*; Sletten, E.M.* “Bright chromenylium polymethine dyes enable fast, four-color in vivo imaging with shortwave infrared detection.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 6836-6846.
  • Friedman, H.C.; Cosco, E.D.; Atallah, T.L.; Jia, S.; Sletten, E.M.; Caram, J.R. “Establishing design principles for emissive organic SWIR chromophores from energy gap laws.” Chem 2021, 7, 3359-3376.
  • Day, R.A.; Sletten, E.M.* “Perfluorocarbon nanomaterials for photodynamic therapy.” Curr. Opin. Colloid Interface Sci. 2021, 54, 101454.
  • Shelton, E.R.; Kim, S.; Gross, B.J.; Wu, R.; Pochitaloff, M.; Lim, I.; Sletten, E.M.; Campàs, O. “Stress-driven tissue fluidization physically segments vertebrate somites.” bioRxiv 2021, DOI: 10.1101/2021.03.27.437325.
  • Cosco, E.D.; Spearman, A.L.; Ramakrishnan, S.; Lingg, J.G.P.; Saccomano, M.; Pengshung, M.; Arus, B.A.; Wong, K.C.Y.; Glasl, S.; Ntziachristos, V.; Warmer, M.; McLaughlin, R.R.; Bruns, O.T.*; Sletten, E.M.* “Shortwave infrared polymethine fluorophores matched to excitation lasers enable non-invasive, multicolour in vivo imaging in real time.” Nat. Chem. 2020, 12, 1123-1130.
  • Deshmukh, A.P.; Bailey, A.D.; Forte, L.S.; Shen, X.; Geue, N.; Sletten, E.M.; Caram, J.R.* “Thermodynamic control over molecular aggregate assembly enables tunable excitonic properties across the visible and near-infrared.” J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2020, 11, 8026-8033.
  • Mu X.; Hopp, M.; Dziedzic, R.M.; Rheingold, A.L.; Sletten, E.M.; Axtell, J.C.; Spokoyny, A.M. “Expanding the scope of palladium-catalyzed B—N cross-coupling chemistry in carboranes.” Organometallics 2020 39(23), 4380-4386.
  • Kataki-Anastasakou, A.; Axtell, J.C.; Hernandez, S.; Dziedzic, R.M.; Balaich, G.J.; Rheingold, A.L.; Spokoyny, A.M.; Sletten, E.M.* “Carborane guests for cucurbit[7]uril facilitate strong binding and on demand removal.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142(49), 20513-20518.
  • Lim, I.; Vian, A.; van de Wouw, H.; Day, R.A.; Gomez, C.; Liu, Y.; Rheingold, A.L.; Campàs, O.; Sletten, E.M.* “Fluorous soluble cyanine dyes for visualizing perfluorocarbons in living systems.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 16072-16081.
  • Day, R.D.; Estabrook, D.A.; Wu, C.; Chapman, J.O.; Togle, A.; Sletten, E.M.* “Systematic study of perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions stabilized by polymer amphiphiles.” ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020, 12, 38887-38898.
  • Pengshung, M.; Li, J.; Mukadum, F.; Lopez, S.A.*; Sletten, E.M.* “Photophysical tuning of shortwave infrared flavylium heptamethine dyes via substituent placement.” Org. Lett. 2020, 15, 6150-6154.
  • Miller, M.A.; Sletten, E.M.* “Perfluorocarbons in Chemical Biology.” ChemBioChem 2020, 21, 3451-3462.
  • Pengshung, M.; Neal, P.; Atallah, T.L.; Kwon, J.; Caram, J.R.*; Lopez, S.A.*; Sletten, E.M.* “Silicon incorporation in polymethine dyes.” Chem. Commun. 2020, 56, 6110-6113.
  • Jaye, J.A.; Sletten, E.M.* “Vinyl iodide containing polymers directly prepared via an iodo-yne polymerization.” ACS Macro Lett. 2020, 9, 410-415.
  • Miller, M.A.;# Day, R.D.;# Estabrook, D.A.;# Sletten, E.M.* “A reduction-sensitive fluorous fluorogenic coumarin.” Synlett 2020, 31, 450-454.
  • Chen, W.#; Cheng, C.-A.#; Cosco, E.D.#; Ramakrishnan, S.; Lingg, J.G.P.; Bruns, O.T.*; Zink, J.I.*; Sletten, E.M.* “Shortwave infrared imaging with J-aggregates stabilized in hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 12475–12480.
  • Pengshung, M.; Kwon, J.; Sletten, E.M.* “Bathochromically shifted polymethine dyes through silicon incorporation.” ChemRxiv, 2019, DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv.11320064.v1
  • Miller, M.A.;# Day, R.D.;# Estabrook, D.A.;# Sletten, E.M.* “A reduction-sensitive fluorous fluorogenic coumarin.” Synlett, 2019, 30, DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1690770.
  • Jaye, J.A.; Sletten, E.M.* “Modular and processable fluoropolymers prepared via a safe, mild, iodo-ene polymerization.” ACS Cent. Sci. 2019, 5, 982–991.
  • Estabrook, D.A.; Ennis, A.F.; Day, R.A.; Sletten, E.M.* “Controlling nanoemulsion surface chemistry with poly(2-oxazoline) amphiphiles.” Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, 3994–4003.
  • Rodrigues, R.M.; Guan, X.; Iniguez, J.A.; Estabrook, D.A.; Chapman, J.O.; Huang, S.; Sletten, E.M.; Liu, C.* “Perfluorocarbon nanoemulsion promotes the delivery of reducing equivalents for electricitry-driven microbial CO2  reduction.” Nature Catalysis, 2019, 2, 4017–4014.
  • Chen, W.#; Cheng, C.-A.#; Cosco, E.D.#; Ramakrishnan, S.; Lingg, J.G.P.; Bruns, O.T.*; Zink, J.I.*; Sletten, E.M.* “Shortwave infrared imaging with J-aggregates stabilized in hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles.” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2019, 141, 12475–12480.
  • Miller, M.A.; Sletten, E.M.* “A general approach to biocompatible branched fluorous tags for increased solubility in perfluorocarbon solvents.” Org. Lett. 2018, 20, 6850–6854.
  • Cao, W.; Sletten, E.M.* “Fluorescent cyanine dye J-aggregates in the fluorous phase.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 2727–2730.
  • Day, R.A.; Estabrook, D.A.; Logan, J.K.; Sletten, E.M.* “Fluorous photosensitizers enhance photodynamic therapy with perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions.” Chem. Commun. 2017, 53, 13043–13046.
  • Cosco, E.D.; Caram, J.R.; Bruns, O.T.; Franke, D.; Day, R.A.; Farr, E.P.; Bawendi, M.G.; Sletten, E.M.* “Flavylium polymethine fluorophores for near- and shortwave infrared imaging.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 13126–13129.
  • Sletten, E.M.; Swager, T.M. “Readily accessible multifunctional fluorous emulsions.” Chem. Sci. 2016, 7, 5091-5097.
  • Niroui, F.; Wang, A.I.; Sletten, E.M.; Song, Y.; Kong, J.; Yablonovitch, E.; Swager, T.M.; Lang, J.H.; Bulovic, V. “Tunneling nanoelectromechanical switches based on compressible molecular thin films.” ACS Nano 2015, 9, 7886-7894.
  • Zarzar, L.D.; Sresht, V.; Sletten, E.M.; Kalow, J.A.; Blankschtein, D.; Swager, T.M. “Dynamically reconfigurable complex emulsions via tunable interfacial tensions.” Nature 2015, 518, 520-524.
  • Koo, B.; Sletten, E.M.; Swager, T.M. “Efficient synthesis of functionalized poly(3-hexylthiophenes)s via lithium-bromine exchange.” Macromolecules 2015, 48, 229-235.
  • strong>Sletten, E.M.; Swager, T.M. “Fluorofluorophores: fluorescent fluorous chemical tools spanning the visible spectrum.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 13574-13577.
  • strong> Sletten, E.M.; de Almeida, G.; Bertozzi, C.R. “A homologation approach to the synthesis of difluorinated cycloalkynes.” Org. Lett. 2014, 16, 1634-1637.
  • Agarwal, P.; van der Weijden, J.; Sletten, E.M.; Rabuka, D.; Bertozzi, C.R. “A Pictet-Spengler ligation for protein chemical modification.” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2013, 110, 46-51.
  • Gordon, C.G.; Mackey, J.; Jewett, J.C.; Sletten, E.M.; Houk, K.N.; Bertozzi, C.R. “Reactivity of biarylazacyclooctynones in copper-free click chemistry.”  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 9199-9208.
  • Yao, J.Z.; Uttamapinant, C.; Poloukhtine, A.; Baskin, J.M.; Codelli, J.A.; Sletten, E.M.; Bertozzi, C.R.; Popik, V.V.; Ting, A,Y. “Fluorophore targeting to cellular proteins via enzyme-mediated azide ligation and strain-promoted cycloaddition.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 3720-3728.
  • de Almeida, G.; Sletten, E.M.; Nakamura, H.; Palaniappan, K.K.; Bertozzi, C.R. “Thiacycloalkynes for Cu-free click chemistry.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 2443-2447.
  • strong> Sletten, E.M.; Bertozzi, C.R. “A bioorthogonal quadricyclane ligation.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 17570-17573.
  • strong>   Sletten, E.M.; Bertozzi, C.R. “From mechanism to mouse: a tale of two bioorthogonal reactions.” Acc. Chem. Res. 2011, 44, 666-676.
  • Kelly, C.B.; Colthart, A.M.; Constant, B.D.; Corning, S.R.; Dubois, L.N.; Genovese, J.T.; Radziewicz, J.L.; Sletten, E.M.; Whitaker, K.R.; Tilley, L.J. “Enabling the synthesis of perfluoroalkyl bicyclobutanes via 1,3 g-silyl elimination.” Org. Lett. 2011, 13, 1646-1649.
  • strong>   Sletten, E.M.; Nakamura, H.; Jewett, J.C.; Bertozzi, C.R. “Difluorobenzocyclooctyne: synthesis, characterization, and stabilization by b-cyclodextrin.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 11799-11805.
  • Chang, P.V.; Dube, D.H.; Sletten, E.M.; Bertozzi, C.R. “A strategy for the selective imaging of glycans using caged metabolic precursors.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 9516-9518.
  • Jewett, J.C.; Sletten, E.M.; Bertozzi, C.R. “Rapid Cu-free click chemistry with readily synthesized biarylazacyclooctynones.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 3688-3690.
  • Chang, P.V.*; Prescher, J.A.*; Sletten, E.M.; Baskin, J.M.; Miller, I.A.; Agard, N.J.; Lo, A.; Bertozzi, C.R. “Copper-free click chemistry in living animals.” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2010, 107, 1821-1826.
  • strong>   Sletten, E.M.; Bertozzi, C.R. “Bioorthogonal chemistry: fishing for selectivity in a sea of functionality.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 6974-6998.
  • strong>   Sletten, E.M.; Bertozzi, C.R. “A hydrophilic azacyclooctyne for Cu-free click chemistry.” Org. Lett. 2008, 10, 3097-3099.
  • strong>   Sletten, E.M.; Liotta, L.J. “A flexible stereospecific synthesis of polyhydroxyated pyrrolizidines from commercially available pyranosides.” J. Org. Chem. 2006, 71, 1335-1343.