Dr Evelyne Deplazes
Dr

Evelyne Deplazes

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 54180

Background

I was awarded my PhD in Computational Biophysics from the University of Western Australia (2012) for my work on combining molecular modelling and simulation approaches with fluorescence spectroscopy experiments to study mechanosensitive ion channels.

Following this, I carried out Postdoctoral work at the University of Queensland and Curtin University, funded by Early Career Fellowships from the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Australian National Health and Research Council (NHMRC). In 2019, I joined UTS under a UTS Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and started my independent research group. In 2021, I returned to the University of Queensland as a Senior Lecturer.

Apart from my research, I am a passionate advocate for mental health in academia and

supporting PhD students. My teaching and supervision are guided by encouraging students to become 'critical thinkers'. I practice mindful leadership and aim to integrate kindness and gratitude into how I lead my research team.

Availability

Dr Evelyne Deplazes is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Biological Sciences Biomolecular modelling and design Chemical Sciences Medicinal and biomolecular chemistry Physical chemistry Proteins and peptides Structural biology (incl. macromolecular modelling)

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, Curtin University of Technology
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Western Australia

Research interests

  • Antifungal peptides

    Invasive fungal infections are difficult to treat, and many current drugs are toxic to human cells. This project studies the membrane-altering properties of peptides or steroid drugs that have antifungal activity or that increase the potency of existing anti-fungal drugs. Understanding the mechanism of action of these compounds will help develop less toxic antifungal treatments. This project is a collaboration with fungal biologists and combines biophysical chemistry and cell-based experiments.

  • Ex-vivo and in-silico structural models of fungal cell membranes and cell walls.

    Targets for developing antifungal drugs are limited due to the similarity between fungal and human cells and most antifungal drugs work by interfering with the cell wall or cell membrane. Lipid vesicles or other model membrane systems are regularly used to study drug-membrane interactions, but these model systems are too simplistic to capture the complexity of the cell membrane or wall. This project aims to develop ex-vivo membrane models that better capture drug-membrane interactions. We do this using both biophysical chemistry approaches and computer simulations (in-silico).

  • What drives the haemolytic activity of antimicrobial peptides

    The rise of antibiotic resistance has renewed the interest in antimicrobial peptides with complex, membrane-based mechanisms. While AMPs have potent antibiotic activity, most of them are also haemolytic (they rupture red blood cells). This project aims to use lipid extracts from cells to develop membrane models that more accurately mimic the haemolytic activity of AMPs and help identify what properties give a peptide potent antibiotic activity yet would be safe to use in humans.

  • Steroid – membrane interactions

    Steroids are a class of chemical compounds that occur naturally in the body (e.g. progesterone or testosterone) and are also used to treat a range of conditions such asthma, eczema or arthritis. Steroids exert their biological or pharmacological activities via a range of different mechanism, including by altering the structure and fluidity of cell membranes. We combine computer simulations and various wet-lab experiments to understand how steroids interact with membranes and how this might be used to modulate the function of membrane proteins. This project is a collaboration with researchers from the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Sydney.

Research impacts

Our research combines computer simulations and biophysical chemistry experiments to study biomolecular systems with a particular focus on understanding how small molecules interact with biological membranes. We aim to use the knowledge and tools from our research to help develop new pharmaceuticals or understand fundamental processes such as membrane permeation. In addition, we are interested in studying the structure and function of proteins. Our group collaborates with scientists from different fields including structural biologists, molecular and cell biologists as well as peptide and physical chemists to address challenges in biomedical sciences.

https://www.scientia.global/dr-evelyne-deplazes-combining-simulations-experiments-to-explore-interactions-between-membranes-small-molecules/

Search Professor Evelyne Deplazes’s works on UQ eSpace

69 works between 2008 and 2025
All (69) Journal Article (59) Book Chapter (4) Conference Publication (6)

41 - 60 of 69 works

2018

Journal Article

Characterisation of the structure and oligomerisation of Islet Amyloid Polypeptides (IAPP): a review of molecular dynamics simulation studies

Moore, Sandra J., Sonar, Krushna, Bharadwaj, Prashant, Deplazes, Evelyne and Mancera, Ricardo L. (2018). Characterisation of the structure and oligomerisation of Islet Amyloid Polypeptides (IAPP): a review of molecular dynamics simulation studies. Molecules, 23 (9) 2142, 1-37. doi: 10.3390/molecules23092142

Characterisation of the structure and oligomerisation of Islet Amyloid Polypeptides (IAPP): a review of molecular dynamics simulation studies

2018

Journal Article

The Biological and Biophysical Properties of the Spider Peptide Gomesin

Tanner, John D., Deplazes, Evelyne and Mancera, Ricardo L. (2018). The Biological and Biophysical Properties of the Spider Peptide Gomesin. Molecules, 23 (7) 1733, 1-19. doi: 10.3390/molecules23071733

The Biological and Biophysical Properties of the Spider Peptide Gomesin

2018

Journal Article

Molecular simulations of venom peptide-membrane interactions: progress and challenges

Deplazes, Evelyne (2018). Molecular simulations of venom peptide-membrane interactions: progress and challenges. Peptide Science, 110 (3) e24060, e24060. doi: 10.1002/pep2.24060

Molecular simulations of venom peptide-membrane interactions: progress and challenges

2018

Journal Article

Gomesin peptides prevent proliferation and lead to the cell death of devil facial tumour disease cells

Fernandez-Rojo, Manuel A., Deplazes, Evelyne, Pineda, Sandy S., Brust, Andreas, Marth, Tano, Wilhelm, Patrick, Martel, Nick, Ramm, Grant A., Mancera, Ricardo L., Alewood, Paul F., Woods, Gregory M., Belov, Katherine, Miles, John J., King, Glenn F. and Ikonomopoulou, Maria P. (2018). Gomesin peptides prevent proliferation and lead to the cell death of devil facial tumour disease cells. Cell Death Discovery, 4 (1) 19, 19. doi: 10.1038/s41420-018-0030-0

Gomesin peptides prevent proliferation and lead to the cell death of devil facial tumour disease cells

2018

Conference Publication

The use of peptide-membrane interactions in the design of selective and potent sodium channel inhibitors

Schroeder, Christina, Agwa, Akello, Mueller, Alexander, Chow, Chun Yuen, Peigneur, Steve, Lawrence, Nicole, Deplazes, Evelyne, Mark, Alan, Craik, David, Tytgat, Jan, King, Glenn, Vetter, Irina and Henriques, Sonia Troeira (2018). The use of peptide-membrane interactions in the design of selective and potent sodium channel inhibitors. 35th European Peptide Symposium, Dublin City University, Ireland, 26-31 August 2018. Oxford, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.

The use of peptide-membrane interactions in the design of selective and potent sodium channel inhibitors

2017

Journal Article

The effect of hydronium ions on the structure of phospholipid membranes

Deplazes, Evelyne, Poger, David, Cornell, Bruce and Cranfield, Charles G. (2017). The effect of hydronium ions on the structure of phospholipid membranes. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 20 (1), 357-366. doi: 10.1039/c7cp06776c

The effect of hydronium ions on the structure of phospholipid membranes

2017

Journal Article

Spider peptide toxin HwTx-IV engineered to bind to lipid membranes has an increased inhibitory potency at human voltage-gated sodium channel hNa(V)1.7 (vol 1859, pg 835, 2017)

Agwa, Akello J., Lawrence, Nicole, Deplazes, Evelyne, Cheneval, Olivier, Chen, Rachel M., Craik, David J., Schroeder, Christina I. and Henriques, Sonia T. (2017). Spider peptide toxin HwTx-IV engineered to bind to lipid membranes has an increased inhibitory potency at human voltage-gated sodium channel hNa(V)1.7 (vol 1859, pg 835, 2017). Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta-Biomembranes, 1859 (11), 2277-2277. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.08.008

Spider peptide toxin HwTx-IV engineered to bind to lipid membranes has an increased inhibitory potency at human voltage-gated sodium channel hNa(V)1.7 (vol 1859, pg 835, 2017)

2017

Journal Article

A potential new, stable state of the E-cadherin strand-swapped dimer in solution

Schumann-Gillett, Alexandra, Mark, Alan E., Deplazes, Evelyne and O'Mara, Megan L. (2017). A potential new, stable state of the E-cadherin strand-swapped dimer in solution. European Biophysics Journal, 47 (1), 59-67. doi: 10.1007/s00249-017-1229-3

A potential new, stable state of the E-cadherin strand-swapped dimer in solution

2017

Journal Article

Spider peptide toxin HwTx-IV engineered to bind to lipid membranes has an increased inhibitory potency at human voltage-gated sodium channel hNaV1.7

Agwa, Akello J., Lawrence, Nicole, Deplazes, Evelyne, Cheneval, Olivier, Chen, Rachel M., Craik, David J., Schroeder, Christina I. and Henriques, Sónia T. (2017). Spider peptide toxin HwTx-IV engineered to bind to lipid membranes has an increased inhibitory potency at human voltage-gated sodium channel hNaV1.7. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. Biomembranes, 1859 (5), 835-844. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.01.020

Spider peptide toxin HwTx-IV engineered to bind to lipid membranes has an increased inhibitory potency at human voltage-gated sodium channel hNaV1.7

2017

Journal Article

Molecular simulations of disulfide-rich venom peptides with ion channels and membranes

Deplazes, Evelyne (2017). Molecular simulations of disulfide-rich venom peptides with ion channels and membranes. Molecules, 22 (3) 362, 362. doi: 10.3390/molecules22030362

Molecular simulations of disulfide-rich venom peptides with ion channels and membranes

2017

Conference Publication

The importance of peptide-membrane interactions in toxin inhibitions of sodium channels

Schroeder, Christina I., Deplazes, Evelyn, Lawrence, Nicole, Agwa, Akello and Henriques, Sonia T. (2017). The importance of peptide-membrane interactions in toxin inhibitions of sodium channels. 58th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, San Francisco, United States, 15-19 February 2014. St. Louis, MO, United States: Cell Press. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.11.1247

The importance of peptide-membrane interactions in toxin inhibitions of sodium channels

2016

Journal Article

Interaction of tarantula venom peptide ProTx-II with lipid membranes is a prerequisite for its inhibition of human voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7

Troeira Henriques, Sonia, Deplazes, Evelyne, Lawrence, Nicole, Cheneval, Olivier, Chaousis, Stephanie, Inserra, Marco, Thongyoo, Panumart, King, Glenn F., Mark, Alan E., Vetter, Irina, Craik, David J. and Schroeder, Christina Ingrid (2016). Interaction of tarantula venom peptide ProTx-II with lipid membranes is a prerequisite for its inhibition of human voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 291 (33), 17049-17065. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M116.729095

Interaction of tarantula venom peptide ProTx-II with lipid membranes is a prerequisite for its inhibition of human voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7

2016

Journal Article

Membrane-binding properties of gating modifier and pore-blocking toxins: membrane interaction is not a prerequisite for modification of channel gating

Deplazes, Evelyne, Troeira Henriques, Sonia, Smith, Jennifer J., King, Glenn F., Craik, David J., Mark, Alan E. and Schroeder, Christina I. (2016). Membrane-binding properties of gating modifier and pore-blocking toxins: membrane interaction is not a prerequisite for modification of channel gating. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes, 1858 (4), 872-882. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.02.002

Membrane-binding properties of gating modifier and pore-blocking toxins: membrane interaction is not a prerequisite for modification of channel gating

2016

Conference Publication

Membrane-binding properties of gating-modifier and pore blocking toxins: membrane interaction is not a prerequisite for modification of channel gating

Deplazes, Evelyne, Henriques, Sonia Troeira, King, Glenn F., Craik, David J., Mark, Alan E. and Schroeder, Christina I. (2016). Membrane-binding properties of gating-modifier and pore blocking toxins: membrane interaction is not a prerequisite for modification of channel gating. 60th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical-Society, Los Angeles, United States, February 27- March 2 2016. St Louis, United States: Cell Press. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.11.220

Membrane-binding properties of gating-modifier and pore blocking toxins: membrane interaction is not a prerequisite for modification of channel gating

2016

Journal Article

Combination of Ambiguous and Unambiguous Data in the Restraint-driven Docking of Flexible Peptides with HADDOCK: The Binding of the Spider Toxin PcTx1 to the Acid Sensing Ion Channel (ASIC) 1a

Deplazes, Evelyne, Davies, Josephine, Bonvin, Alexandre M. J. J., King, Glenn F. and Mark, Alan E. (2016). Combination of Ambiguous and Unambiguous Data in the Restraint-driven Docking of Flexible Peptides with HADDOCK: The Binding of the Spider Toxin PcTx1 to the Acid Sensing Ion Channel (ASIC) 1a. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 56 (1), 127-138. doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.5b00529

Combination of Ambiguous and Unambiguous Data in the Restraint-driven Docking of Flexible Peptides with HADDOCK: The Binding of the Spider Toxin PcTx1 to the Acid Sensing Ion Channel (ASIC) 1a

2016

Conference Publication

On the Combination of Restraint-Driven Docking of Flexible Peptides to Ion Channels - Lessons Learnt from the Complex Formed by the Spider Venom PcTx1 and the Acid Sensing Ion Channel1

Deplazes, Evelyne, Davies, Josephine, Bonvin, Alexandre M. J. J. and Mark, Alan E. (2016). On the Combination of Restraint-Driven Docking of Flexible Peptides to Ion Channels - Lessons Learnt from the Complex Formed by the Spider Venom PcTx1 and the Acid Sensing Ion Channel1. 60th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical-Society, Los Angeles, CA, United States, February 27- March 2 2016. St Louis, United States: Cell Press. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.11.2872

On the Combination of Restraint-Driven Docking of Flexible Peptides to Ion Channels - Lessons Learnt from the Complex Formed by the Spider Venom PcTx1 and the Acid Sensing Ion Channel1

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

Characterizing the conformational dynamics of metal-free PsaA usingmolecular dynamics simulations and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy

2015

Journal Article

Molecular dynamics and functional studies define a hot spot of crystal contacts essential for PcTx1 inhibition of acid-sensing ion channel 1a

Saez, Natalie J., Deplazes, Evelyne, Cristofori-Armstrong, Ben, Chassagnon, Irene R., Lin, Xiaozhen, Mobli, Mehdi, Mark, Alan E., Rash, Lachlan D. and King, Glenn F. (2015). Molecular dynamics and functional studies define a hot spot of crystal contacts essential for PcTx1 inhibition of acid-sensing ion channel 1a. British Journal of Pharmacology, 172 (20), 4985-4995. doi: 10.1111/bph.13267

Molecular dynamics and functional studies define a hot spot of crystal contacts essential for PcTx1 inhibition of acid-sensing ion channel 1a

2015

Journal Article

Widespread convergence in toxin resistance by predictable molecular evolution

Ujvari, Beata, Casewell, Nicholas R., Sunagar, Kartik, Arbuckle, Kevin, Wuester, Wolfgang, Lo, Nathan, O'Meally, Denis, Beckmann, Christa, King, Glenn F., Deplazes, Evelyne and Madsen, Thomas (2015). Widespread convergence in toxin resistance by predictable molecular evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112 (38), 11911-11916. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1511706112

Widespread convergence in toxin resistance by predictable molecular evolution

2015

Journal Article

Comparing the Ability of Enhanced Sampling Molecular Dynamics Methods To Reproduce the Behavior of Fluorescent Labels on Proteins

Walczewska-Szewc, Katarzyna, Deplazes, Evelyne and Corry, Ben (2015). Comparing the Ability of Enhanced Sampling Molecular Dynamics Methods To Reproduce the Behavior of Fluorescent Labels on Proteins. Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation, 11 (7), 3455-3465. doi: 10.1021/acs.jctc.5b00205

Comparing the Ability of Enhanced Sampling Molecular Dynamics Methods To Reproduce the Behavior of Fluorescent Labels on Proteins

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2028
    Harnessing structural insights into bacterial zinc efflux for new therapeutics (NHMRC Ideas grant administered by University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant
  • 2025
    Characterizing vesicles made from Synthetic and Extracted fungal Cell Lipids for their use in antifungal drug development
    Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2025
    A peptide-based adjuvant therapy to reduce the toxicity of Amphotericin B treatment of invasive fungal infections
    Fungal Infection Trust
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2024
    High-Resolution Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2023
    A peptide-based adjuvant therapy to reduce the toxicity of Amphotericin B
    Gilead Sciences Research Scholars Program in Anti-Fungals
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2016
    60th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society (2015 Ian Potter Grant)
    Ian Potter Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Characterising new therapeutic targets in the fight against pneumococcal disease using computational simulations as an alternative to animal models
    The MAWA Trust
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (Peter Doherty Aust. Biomed. FS): Venoms to drugs: characterizing the molecular interactions between venom peptides and ion channels with a view to rational drug design
    NHMRC Early Career Fellowships
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Evelyne Deplazes is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Research Projects

    The projects we work on are at the interface of physical chemistry, structural biology, biophysics and biomedical/biomolecular sciences. These projects are suitable for students with a background in any of these disciplines.

    Our research combines computer simulations and biophysical chemistry experiments to study biomolecular systems with a particular focus on understanding how small molecules interact with biological membranes. We aim to use the knowledge and tools from our research to help develop new pharmaceuticals or understand fundamental processes such as membrane permeation. In addition, we are interested in studying the structure and function of proteins.

    The following are some of our current projects that are suitable for 3rd and 4th-year undergraduate students, Honours or Masters students. Feel free to contact me for more information and also with your own research ideas. We always aim to adapt the project to the student’s interests, background knowledge and skills.

    • Understanding the interaction of antifungal peptides with model and fungal membranes (wet-lab and simulation projects available)
    • How do viroporin peptides form pores in membranes? (wet-lab and simulation projects available)
    • How do steroids alter the structure and fluidity of cell membranes? (wet-lab and simulation projects available)
    • How do small peptides target specific lipids in the membranes? How can we use this to develop new molecular probes and drugs? (simulation projects available)

  • Research Projects

    The projects we work on are at the interface of physical chemistry, structural biology, biophysics and biomedical/biomolecular sciences. These projects are suitable for students with a background in any of these disciplines.

    Our research combines biophysical chemistry experiments and computer simulations to understand how small molecules interact with biological membranes. We aim to use the knowledge and tools from our research to help develop new pharmaceuticals or understand fundamental processes such as membrane permeation. In addition, we are interested in studying the structure and function of proteins.

    The following are some of our current projects that are suitable for 3rd and 4th-year undergraduate students, Honours or Masters students. Feel free to contact me for more information and also with your own research ideas. We always aim to adapt the project to the student’s interests, background knowledge and skills.

    • Understanding the interaction of antifungal peptides with model and fungal membranes (wet-lab and simulation projects available)
    • Developing ex-vivo membrane models that better capture drug-membrane interactions. (wet-lab and simulation projects available)
    • How do steroids alter the structure and fluidity of cell membranes? (wet-lab and simulation projects available)
    • What drives the haemolytic activity of antimicrobial peptides? (wet-lab projects available)

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Developing small molecule inhibitors to control transcription factor redistribution

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Christian Nefzger

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Developing a cell-free, structural model of fungal cell walls

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor James Fraser

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Characterising the membrane interactions and cytotoxic activity of the anti-fungal peptide Lactofungin

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor James Fraser

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Targeting alterations in cell membrane biophysics for disease intervention

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Megan O'Mara

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Unravelling the Physicochemical Drivers of Biomolecular Self-Assembly though Multiscale Simulations

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor David Ascher, Professor Megan O'Mara

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Using advanced imaging technologies to study cellular recognition by bacterial toxins

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Michael Landsberg

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Investigation of the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and design of novel antimicrobials

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Megan O'Mara

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Targeting alterations in cell membrane biophysics for disease intervention

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Megan O'Mara

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The structural basis of cell specificity in ABC toxins

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Michael Landsberg

Enquiries

Contact Dr Evelyne Deplazes directly for media enquiries about:

  • chemistry
  • drug development
  • PhD student supervision

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