Patrick specialises in Molecular Dynamics simulations of biological systems: lipid bilayer dynamics, antimicrobial resistance mechanisms including lipid mediated resistance and multidrug efflux pumps.
Patrick obtained a Bachelor of Biomedical Science from the University of the Sunshine Coast before moving to Brisbane to complete a Master of Molecular Biology at UQ in 2023. He joined Prof Megan O’Mara’s research team in November 2022 and is currently a undertaking a PhD in Computational Chemistry with Prof O'Mara. His Masters project focused on employing Molecular Dynamic simulations to better understand cell-membrane mediated mechanisms of resistance in multidrug-resistant enterococcus. In keeping with the theme, Patrick has focused his PhD on how the QacA multidrug efflux pump confers resistance in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, this research involves investigating QacA inhibitors to increase drug accumulation and restore the bactericidal efficacy of existing antimicrobial agents. Additionally, Patrick has been investigating the mechanism of action of inhibitors on glycinergic transporter type 2 for chronic pain relief.
Industry
Collaborations
Patrick has worked with an interdisciplinary team across different projects. Previously undertaken research of the GlyT2 glycine transporter was in collaboration with Prof Robert Vandenberg's group (University of Sydney), while current work on QacA is in collaboration with Prof Melissa Brown's group (Flinders University).
Funding
Key Publications
Chater RC, Quinn AS, Wilson K, Frangos ZJ, Sutton P, Jayakumar S, Cioffi CL, O'Mara ML, Vandenberg RJ. The efficacy of the analgesic GlyT2 inhibitor, ORG25543, is determined by two connected allosteric sites. J Neurochem. 2023 Dec 22. doi: 10.1111/jnc.16028. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38131125.
