Overview
Background
Megan O’Mara is a Professor and Group Leader at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), UQ. Her group uses multiscale modelling techniques to understand how changes in the biochemical environment of the cell membranes alters membrane properties and modulates the function of membrane proteins. She has research interests in multidrug resistance, computational drug design and delivery, biopolymers, and personalized medicine. Megan completed her PhD in biophysics at the Australian National University in 2005 before moving to the University of Calgary, Canada, to take up a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship. In 2009, she returned to Australia to join University of Queensland’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences as a UQ Postdoctoral Fellow, before commencing an ARC DECRA in 2012 where she continued her computational work on membrane protein dynamics. In 2015, Megan joined the Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University in 2015 as Rita Cornforth Fellow and Senior Lecturer. In 2019 she was promoted to Associate Professor and was Associate Director (Education) of the Research School of Chemistry ANU in 2019-2021. In April 2022 she relocated to AIBN.
Availability
- Professor Megan O'Mara is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor, University of Canberra
- Bachelor of Physical Sciences, Australian National University
- Doctor of Philosophy of Physical Sciences, Australian National University
- Associate Fellow, Australian National University, Australian National University
Research interests
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computational drug design
computational drug design, structure based drug design, structure activity relationships, computational fragment based drug design
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membrane biophysics
computational cell membrane biophysics, computational lipidomics, cell membrane properties in health, disease and senescence
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multudrug resistance
antimicrobial resistance, cancer chemotherapy resistance
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polymer simulations
biopolymers, self assembly, polymer properties
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lipid delivery systems
targeted lipid delivery systems, computational analysis, lipid formulations, LNP loading, computational simulations
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computational structural biology
membrane protein structure-function, computational biology, protein structure prediction
Research impacts
My research uses computational techniques and simulations to understand how the chemistry of biological and bioinspired systems influence their physical properties. My goal is to understand how biomolecules self-assemble and self-regulate in living cells. My work allows the rational design of new pharmaceuticals, drug and vaccine delivery systems and biocompatable materials, as well as understanding fundamental problems such as antibiotic resistance. My students gain skills in data science, computational chemistry, computational biology, high performance computing, rational drug design and research data management that are directly transferable to industry, government and policy development, as well as research. I collaborate broadly across UQ, Australia and internationally with researchers and industry.
Works
Search Professor Megan O'Mara’s works on UQ eSpace
2021
Journal Article
A unique sequence is essential for efficient multidrug efflux function of the MtrD protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Chitsaz, Mohsen, Gupta, Vrinda, Harris, Benjamin, O'Mara, Megan L. and Brown, Melissa H. (2021). A unique sequence is essential for efficient multidrug efflux function of the MtrD protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. mBio, 12 (4) e01675-21. doi: 10.1128/mbio.01675-21
2021
Journal Article
The membrane composition defines the spatial organization and function of a major Acinetobacter baumannii drug efflux system
Zang, Maoge, MacDermott-Opeskin, Hugo, Adams, Felise G., Naidu, Varsha, Waters, Jack K., Carey, Ashley B., Ashenden, Alex, McLean, Kimberley T., Brazel, Erin B., Jiang, Jhih-Hang, Panizza, Alessandra, Trappetti, Claudia, Paton, James C., Peleg, Anton Y., Koper, Ingo, Paulsen, Ian T., Hassan, Karl A., O'Mara, Megan L. and Eijkelkamp, Bart A. (2021). The membrane composition defines the spatial organization and function of a major Acinetobacter baumannii drug efflux system. mBio, 12 (3) e01070-21. doi: 10.1128/mbio.01070-21
2021
Journal Article
Enzyme inspired polymer functionalized with an artificial catalytic triad
Bhaskaran, Ayana, Aitken, Heather M., Xiao, Zeyun, Blyth, Mitchell, Nothling, Mitchell D., Kamdar, Shashank, O'Mara, Megan L. and Connal, Luke A. (2021). Enzyme inspired polymer functionalized with an artificial catalytic triad. Polymer, 225 123735, 123735. doi: 10.1016/j.polymer.2021.123735
2021
Journal Article
Coordination of substrate binding and protonation in the N. gonorrhoeae MtrD efflux pump controls the functionally rotating transport mechanism
Fairweather, Stephen J., Gupta, Vrinda, Chitsaz, Mohsen, Booth, Lauren, Brown, Melissa H. and O'Mara, Megan L. (2021). Coordination of substrate binding and protonation in the N. gonorrhoeae MtrD efflux pump controls the functionally rotating transport mechanism. ACS Infectious Diseases, 7 (6), 1833-1847. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00149
2021
Journal Article
The role of plasmalogens, Forssman lipids, and sphingolipid hydroxylation in modulating the biophysical properties of the epithelial plasma membrane
Wilson, Katie A., Fairweather, Stephen J., MacDermott-Opeskin, Hugo I., Wang, Lily, Morris, Richard A. and O'Mara, Megan L. (2021). The role of plasmalogens, Forssman lipids, and sphingolipid hydroxylation in modulating the biophysical properties of the epithelial plasma membrane. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 154 (9) 095101, 095101. doi: 10.1063/5.0040887
2021
Journal Article
Investigating the lipid fingerprint of SLC6 neurotransmitter transporters: a comparison of dDAT, hDAT, hSERT, and GlyT2
Wilson, Katie A., Wang, Lily, Lin, Yie Chang and O'Mara, Megan L. (2021). Investigating the lipid fingerprint of SLC6 neurotransmitter transporters: a comparison of dDAT, hDAT, hSERT, and GlyT2. BBA Advances, 1 100010, 100010-1. doi: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2021.100010
2021
Journal Article
The allosteric inhibition of glycine transporter 2 by bioactive lipid analgesics is controlled by penetration into a deep lipid cavity
Wilson, Katie A., Mostyn, Shannon N., Frangos, Zachary J., Shimmon, Susan, Rawling, Tristan, Vandenberg, Robert J. and O'Mara, Megan L. (2021). The allosteric inhibition of glycine transporter 2 by bioactive lipid analgesics is controlled by penetration into a deep lipid cavity. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 296 100282, 100282. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100282
2020
Journal Article
Aryl urea substituted fatty acids: a new class of protonophoric mitochondrial uncoupler that utilises a synthetic anion transporter
Rawling, Tristan, MacDermott-Opeskin, Hugo, Roseblade, Ariane, Pazderka, Curtis, Clarke, Callum, Bourget, Kirsi, Wu, Xin, Lewis, William, Noble, Benjamin, Gale, Philip A., O'Mara, Megan L., Cranfield, Charles and Murray, Michael (2020). Aryl urea substituted fatty acids: a new class of protonophoric mitochondrial uncoupler that utilises a synthetic anion transporter. Chemical Science, 11 (47), 12677-12685. doi: 10.1039/d0sc02777d
2020
Journal Article
Understanding the link between lipid diversity and the biophysical properties of the neuronal plasma membrane
Wilson, Katie A., MacDermott-Opeskin, Hugo I., Riley, Eden, Lin, Yiechang and O’Mara, Megan L. (2020). Understanding the link between lipid diversity and the biophysical properties of the neuronal plasma membrane. Biochemistry, 59 (33), 3010-3018. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00524
2020
Journal Article
Cross-linking, DEER-spectroscopy and molecular dynamics confirm the inward facing state of P-glycoprotein in a lipid membrane
Carey Hulyer, Alex R., Briggs, Deborah A., O'Mara, Megan L., Kerr, Ian D., Harmer, Jeffrey R. and Callaghan, Richard (2020). Cross-linking, DEER-spectroscopy and molecular dynamics confirm the inward facing state of P-glycoprotein in a lipid membrane. Journal of Structural Biology, 211 (1) 107513, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jsb.2020.107513
2020
Journal Article
High resolution crystal structure of a KRAS promoter G-quadruplex reveals a dimer with extensive poly-A π-stacking interactions for small-molecule recognition
Ou, Arnold, Schmidberger, Jason W., Wilson, Katie A., Evans, Cameron W., Hargreaves, Jessica A., Grigg, Melanie, O'Mara, Megan L., Iyer, K. Swaminathan, Bond, Charles S. and Smith, Nicole M. (2020). High resolution crystal structure of a KRAS promoter G-quadruplex reveals a dimer with extensive poly-A π-stacking interactions for small-molecule recognition. Nucleic Acids Research, 48 (10), 5766-5776. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkaa262
2020
Journal Article
A multifunctional surfactant catalyst inspired by hydrolases
Nothling, Mitchell D., Xiao, Zeyun, Hill, Nicholas S., Blyth, Mitchell T., Bhaskaran, Ayana, Sani, Marc-Antoine, Espinosa-Gomez, Andrea, Ngov, Kevin, White, Jonathan, Buscher, Tim, Separovic, Frances, O'Mara, Megan L., Coote, Michelle L. and Connal, Luke A. (2020). A multifunctional surfactant catalyst inspired by hydrolases. Science Advances, 6 (14) eaaz0404, eaaz0404. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz0404
2020
Journal Article
Comparing nonbonded metal ion models in the divalent cation binding protein PsaA
MacDermott-Opeskin, Hugo, McDevitt, Christopher A. and O'Mara, Megan L. (2020). Comparing nonbonded metal ion models in the divalent cation binding protein PsaA. Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, 16 (3), 1913-1923. doi: 10.1021/acs.jctc.9b01180
2020
Journal Article
The fats of life: using computational chemistry to characterise the eukaryotic cell membrane
Wilson, Katie A., Wang, Lily, MacDermott-Opeskin, Hugo and O'Mara, Megan L. (2020). The fats of life: using computational chemistry to characterise the eukaryotic cell membrane. Australian Journal of Chemistry, 73 (2-3), 85-95. doi: 10.1071/ch19353
2019
Journal Article
Multidrug resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: identification of functionally important residues in the MtrD efflux protein
Chitsaz, Mohsen, Booth, Lauren, Blyth, Mitchell T., O’Mara, Megan L. and Brown, Melissa H. (2019). Multidrug resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: identification of functionally important residues in the MtrD efflux protein. mBio, 10 (6) e02277-19. doi: 10.1128/mbio.02277-19
2019
Journal Article
Identification of an allosteric binding site on the human glycine transporter, GlyT2, for bioactive lipid analgesics
Mostyn, Shannon N., Wilson, Katie A., Schumann-Gillette, Alexandra, Frangos, Zachary J., Shimmon, Susan, Rawling, Tristan, Ryan, Renae M., O'Mara, Megan L. and Vandenberg, Robert J. (2019). Identification of an allosteric binding site on the human glycine transporter, GlyT2, for bioactive lipid analgesics. eLife, 8 e47150. doi: 10.7554/elife.47150
2019
Journal Article
Is protein structure enough? A review of the role of lipids in SLC6 transporter function
Schumann-Gillett, Alexandra, Blyth, Mitchell T. and O'Mara, Megan L. (2019). Is protein structure enough? A review of the role of lipids in SLC6 transporter function. Neuroscience Letters, 700, 64-69. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.05.020
2019
Journal Article
Lipid-based inhibitors act directly on GlyT2
Schumann-Gillett, Alexandra and O'Mara, Megan L. (2019). Lipid-based inhibitors act directly on GlyT2. ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 10 (3), 1668-1678. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00586
2019
Journal Article
Mutation p.R356Q in the collybistin phosphoinositide binding site Is associated with mild intellectual disability
Chiou, Tzu-Ting, Long, Philip, Schumann-Gillett, Alexandra, Kanamarlapudi, Venkateswarlu, Haas, Stefan A., Harvey, Kirsten, O'Mara, Megan L., De Blasi, Angel L., Kalscheuer, Vera M. and Harvey, Robert J. (2019). Mutation p.R356Q in the collybistin phosphoinositide binding site Is associated with mild intellectual disability. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 12 60. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00060
2019
Journal Article
Probing the pharmacological binding sites of P-glycoprotein using umbrella sampling simulations
Subramanian, Nandhitha, Schumann-Gillett, Alexandra, Mark, Alan E. and O’Mara, Megan L. (2019). Probing the pharmacological binding sites of P-glycoprotein using umbrella sampling simulations. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 59 (5) acs.jcim.8b00624, 2287-2298. doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.8b00624
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Megan O'Mara is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Targeting alterations in cell membrane biophysics for disease intervention
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Evelyne Deplazes
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Doctor Philosophy
Computational design of targeted lipid technologies
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Ascher
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Doctor Philosophy
Unravelling the Physicochemical Drivers of Biomolecular Self-Assembly though Multiscale Simulations
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Ascher, Dr Evelyne Deplazes
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Doctor Philosophy
Investigation of the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and design of novel antimicrobials
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Billy Williams-Noonan, Dr Evelyne Deplazes
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Doctor Philosophy
The effect of membrane composition on protein-ligand interactions in drug design and delivery
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Debra Bernhardt
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Doctor Philosophy
Cause-and-effect relationships influencing the MRI derived brain age gap
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lena Oestreich
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Doctor Philosophy
nvestigation of pH-dependent bacterial transporters
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Debra Bernhardt, Professor Alan Mark
Completed supervision
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Targeting the membrane: molecular dynamics studies of protein-membrane interactions.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alan Mark
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding multidrug resistance: Molecular Dynamics studies of ligand recognition by P-glycoprotein
Joint Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alan Mark
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Megan O'Mara directly for media enquiries about:
- biophysics
- computational chemistry
- drug design
- supercomputers - applications
- women in STEM
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