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
2016
Conference Publication
Going downstream - how does GH binding activate JAK2
Brooks, Andrew, Dai, W., O'Mara, M. L., Abankwa, D., Chhabra, Y., Pelekanos, R. A., Gardon, O., Tunny, K. A., Blucher, K. M., Morton, C. J., Parker, M. W., Sierecki, E., Gambin, Y., Gomez, G. A., Alexandrov, K., Wilson, I. A., Doxastakis, M., Mark, A. E. and Waters, M. J. (2016). Going downstream - how does GH binding activate JAK2. Annual Scientific Meeting of the Endocrine Society of Australia, Adelaide, Australia, 23-26 August, 2015. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/cen.13010
2016
Conference Publication
Mechanism of JAK2 Activation by the Archetype Class I Cytokine Receptor, the Growth Hormone Receptor
Brooks, Andrew J., O’Mara, Megan L., Dai, Wei, Abankwa, Daniel, Chhabra, Yash, Tunny, Kathryn A., Parker, Michael W., Sierecki, Emma, Gambin, Yann, Gomez, Guillermo A., Haxholm, Gitte W., Nikolajsen, Louise F., Doxastakis, Manolis, Mark, Alan E. and Waters, Michael J. (2016). Mechanism of JAK2 Activation by the Archetype Class I Cytokine Receptor, the Growth Hormone Receptor. Biophysical Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 27 February - 2 March 2016. CAMBRIDGE: CELL PRESS. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.11.233
2015
Journal Article
Characterizing the conformational dynamics of metal-free PsaA usingmolecular dynamics simulations and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy
Deplazes, Evelyne, Begg, Stephanie L., van Wonderen, Jessica H., Campbell, Rebecca, Kobe, Bostjan, Paton, James C., MacMillan, Fraser, McDevitt, Christopher A. and O'Mara, Megan L. (2015). Characterizing the conformational dynamics of metal-free PsaA usingmolecular dynamics simulations and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Biophysical Chemistry, 207, 51-60. doi: 10.1016/j.bpc.2015.08.004
2015
Journal Article
Molecular basis for the interaction of the mammalian amino acid transporters B0AT1 and B0AT3 with their ancillary protein collectrin
Fairweather, Stephen J., Broeer, Angelika, Subramanian, Nandhitha, Turner, Ennrah, Cheng, Qi, Schmoll, Dieter, O'Mara, Megan L. and Broeer, Stefan (2015). Molecular basis for the interaction of the mammalian amino acid transporters B0AT1 and B0AT3 with their ancillary protein collectrin. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290 (40), 24308-24325. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M115.648519
2015
Journal Article
Identification of possible binding sites for morphine and nicardipine on the multidrug transporter P-Glycoprotein using umbrella sampling techniques
Subramanian, Nandhitha, Condic-Jurkic, Karmen, Mark, Alan E. and O'Mara, Megan L. (2015). Identification of possible binding sites for morphine and nicardipine on the multidrug transporter P-Glycoprotein using umbrella sampling techniques. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 55 (6), 1202-1217. doi: 10.1021/ci5007382
2015
Journal Article
Dysregulation of transition metal ion homeostasis is the molecular basis for cadmium toxicity in Streptococcus pneumoniae
Begg, Stephanie L., Eijkelkamp, Bart A., Luo, Zhenyao, Couñago, Rafael M., Morey, Jacqueline R., Maher, Megan J., Ong, Cheryl-lynn Y., McEwan, Alastair G., Kobe, Bostjan, O'Mara, Megan L., Paton, James C. and McDevitt, Christopher A. (2015). Dysregulation of transition metal ion homeostasis is the molecular basis for cadmium toxicity in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Nature Communications, 6 (6418) 6418, 1-11. doi: 10.1038/ncomms7418
2015
Conference Publication
Insights into the operations of a promiscuous drug trafficker: The story of P-glycoprotein
Condic-Jurkic, K., Subramanian, N., Mark, A. E. and O'Mara, M. (2015). Insights into the operations of a promiscuous drug trafficker: The story of P-glycoprotein. 10th European Biophysical Societies Association (EBSA) European Biophysics Congress, Dresden, Germany, 18-22 July 2015. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer. doi: 10.1007/s00249-015-1045-6
2014
Journal Article
Mechanism of activation of protein kinase JAK2 by the growth hormone receptor
Brooks, Andrew J., Dai, Wei, O’Mara, Megan L., Abankwa, Daniel, Chhabra, Yash, Pelekanos, Rebecca A., Gardon, Olivier, Tunny, Kathryn A., Blucher, Kristopher M., Morton, Craig J., Parker, Michael W., Sierecki, Emma, Gambin, Yann, Gomez, Guillermo A., Alexandrov, Kirill, Wilson, Ian A., Doxastakis, Manolis, Mark, Alan E. and Waters, Michael J. (2014). Mechanism of activation of protein kinase JAK2 by the growth hormone receptor. Science, 344 (6185) 1249783, 1249783.1-1249783.12. doi: 10.1126/science.1249783
2014
Journal Article
The central cavity of ABCB1 undergoes alternating access during ATP hydrolysis
van Wonderen, Jessica H., McMahon, Róisin M., O'Mara, Megan L., McDevitt, Christopher A., Thomson, Andrew J., Kerr, Ian D., MacMillan, Fraser and Callaghan, Richard (2014). The central cavity of ABCB1 undergoes alternating access during ATP hydrolysis. FEBS Journal, 281 (9), 2190-2201. doi: 10.1111/febs.12773
2014
Book Chapter
Polypeptide and protein modeling for drug design
O’Mara, Megan L. and Deplazes, Evelyne (2014). Polypeptide and protein modeling for drug design. Encyclopedia of computational neuroscience. (pp. 1-9) New York, United States: Springer . doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_732-1
2014
Journal Article
Structural characterization of two metastable ATP-bound states of P-glycoprotein
O'Mara, Megan L. and Mark, Alan E. (2014). Structural characterization of two metastable ATP-bound states of P-glycoprotein. PLoS One, 9 (3) e91916, e91916.1-e91916.14. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091916
2014
Journal Article
AdcA and AdcAII employ distinct zinc acquisition mechanisms and contribute additively to zinc homeostasis in Streptococcus pneumoniae
Plumptre, Charles D., Eijkelkamp, Bart A., Morey, Jacqueline R., Behr, Felix, Couñago, Rafael M., Ogunniyi, Abiodun D., Kobe, Bostjan, O'Mara, Megan L., Paton, James C. and McDevitt, Christopher A. (2014). AdcA and AdcAII employ distinct zinc acquisition mechanisms and contribute additively to zinc homeostasis in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Molecular Microbiology, 91 (4), 834–851-834–851. doi: 10.1111/mmi.12504
2014
Conference Publication
A new cytokine receptor activation paradigm: Activation of JAK2 by the growth hormone receptor
Brooks, Andrew J, Chhabra, Yash, Abankwa, Daniel, O’Mara, Megan, Dai, Wei, Gardon, Olivier, Tunny, Kathryn A., Blucher, Kristopher M., Morton, Craig J., Parker, Michael W., Sierecki, Emma, Gambin, Yann, Guillermo A. Gomez, Alexandrov, Kirill Kirill, Doxastakis, Manolis, Mark, Alan E. and Waters, Michael J. (2014). A new cytokine receptor activation paradigm: Activation of JAK2 by the growth hormone receptor. 2nd Annual Meeting of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society (ICIS), Melbourne, VIC Australia, 26 - 29 October 2014. London, United Kingdom: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2014.07.227
2014
Book Chapter
Polypeptide and protein modeling for drug design
O'Mara, Megan and Deplazes, Evelyne (2014). Polypeptide and protein modeling for drug design. Encyclopedia of computational neuroscience. (pp. 2439-2447) edited by Dieter Jaeger and Ranu Jung. Berlin, Germany: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-6675-8_732
2013
Journal Article
Vancomycin: ligand recognition, dimerization and super-complex formation
Jia, ZhiGuang, O'Mara, Megan L., Zuegg, Johannes, Cooper, Matthew A. and Mark, Alan E. (2013). Vancomycin: ligand recognition, dimerization and super-complex formation. FEBS Journal, 280 (5), 1294-1307. doi: 10.1111/febs.12121
2013
Journal Article
Erratum: The effect of environment on the recognition and binding of vancomycin to native and resistant forms of lipid II (Biophysical Journal (2011) 101 (2684-2692))
Jia, Z. G., O'Mara, M. L., Zuegg, J., Matthew Cooper and Mark, Alan (2013). Erratum: The effect of environment on the recognition and binding of vancomycin to native and resistant forms of lipid II (Biophysical Journal (2011) 101 (2684-2692)). Biophysical Journal, 104 (2), 516-516. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.12.031
2012
Journal Article
Intestinal peptidases form functional complexes with the neutral amino acid transporter B0AT1
Fairweather, Stephen J., Broer, Angelika, O'Mara, Megan L. and Broer, Stefan (2012). Intestinal peptidases form functional complexes with the neutral amino acid transporter B0AT1. Biochemical Journal, 446 (1), 135-148. doi: 10.1042/BJ20120307
2012
Conference Publication
Chicken TAP genes are polymorphic and co-evolve with the dominantly-expressed class I gene
Sowa, Anna, Harrison, Michael, Tregaskes, Clive, Chappell, Paul, Roversi, Pietro, Lea, Susan, O'Mara, Megan, Gaudet, Rachelle and Kaufman, Jim (2012). Chicken TAP genes are polymorphic and co-evolve with the dominantly-expressed class I gene. 7th Biannual Workshop on Antigen Presentation, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 24-27 April 2012. Oxford, United Kingdom: Pergamon. doi: 10.1016/j.molimm.2012.02.050
2012
Journal Article
Molecular dynamics simulations of membrane proteins: building starting structures and example applications
Schmidt, Thomas H., O’Mara, Megan L. and Kandt, Christian (2012). Molecular dynamics simulations of membrane proteins: building starting structures and example applications. Current Physical Chemistry, 2 (4), 363-378.
2011
Journal Article
The effect of environment on the recognition and binding of vancomycin to native and resistant forms of lipid II
Jia, ZhiGuang, O'Mara, Megan L., Zuegg, Johannes, Cooper, Matthew A. and Mark, Alan E. (2011). The effect of environment on the recognition and binding of vancomycin to native and resistant forms of lipid II. Biophysical Journal, 101 (11), 2684-2692. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2011.10.047
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Megan O'Mara is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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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
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
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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