- meohara@ucsd.edu
- (858) 534-9760
-
3147 Biomedical Sciences Way, Mail code 0760
Israni BRFII Room 4220
Mail Code: 0760
La Jolla , California 92093
Megan O'Hara
Graduate Student
- Interests
- Background and Education
- Honors and Publications
Interests
Research Interests
- Host-Pathogen Interactions
- Biotherapeutics
- Innate Immunity
At the Bench
Megan attended Virginia Tech for her undergraduate studies, receiving a B.S. in Biomedical Biological Sciences as well as a B.S. in Microbiology in 2024. There she studied all things type IV pilus, a prominent virulence factor in many Gram-negative pathogens, in the lab of Dr. Zhaomin Yang. She identified conserved regions of the ATPase, PilB, as potential binding sites of inhibitors, helped develop a phage-based high-throughput screening technique for identifying type IV pilus inhibitors, and discovered that surface hydrophilicity impacts twitching motility in vitro. Wanting to step outside her comfort zone, Megan moved across the country to UC San Diego to pursue translational research in the Nizet Lab, as a Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. student. Currently, Megan evaluates a nanoparticle vaccine against multidrug resistant Escherichia coli with Assistant Project Scientist, Elisabet Bjanes. Additionally, she is identifying the effects that biomimetic platelet nanoparticles, used as a biotherapeutic for Gram-positive sepsis, have on innate immunity.
Outside of Lab
When she's not in lab, you can usually find Megan at home curled up with her cat, Arthur, while crocheting, reading, or puzzling. If she's not at home, she's on the soccer field saving goals and being the team cheerleader. If you ask Megan her hobbies on any given day, she is always trying something new!
Background and Education
Education
| University | Degree | Year | Field |
| University of California San Diego, La Jolla CA | Ph.D. | 2024-present | Microbiology |
| Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA | B.S. | 2024 | Microbiology |
| Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA | B.S. | 2024 | Biomedical Biological Sciences |
Honors and Publications
Honors
| Year | Honor |
| 2025 | Marion B. Sewer Memorial Achievement Award |
| 2024 | Arthur Buikema and Alison Galway Outstanding Senior Researcher Award |
| 2024 | Undergraduate Research Excellence Award |
| 2023 | American Society of Microbiology Travel Grant |
| 2023 | David Lyerly Undergraduate Research Fellow |
| 2020-2024 | Presidential Scholar Initiative Full-Tuition Scholarship |
Publications
Shimozono, T., Vogelaar, N. J., O’Hara, M. T., & Yang, Z. A Phage-Based Approach to Identify Antivirulence Inhibitors of Bacterial Type IV Pili. Microbial biotechnology. 2025. PMID 39822166.
O'Hara, M. T., Shimozono, T. M., Dye, K. J., Harris, D., & Yang, Z. Surface hydrophilicity
promotes bacterial twitching motility. mSphere. 2024. PMID 39194233.
Dye, K. J., Vogelaar, N. J., O'Hara, M., Sobrado, P., Santos, W., Carlier, P . R., & Yang, Z.
Discovery of Two Inhibitors of the Type IV Pilus Assembly A TPase PilB as Potential Antivirulence Compounds. Microbiology spectrum. 2022. PMID 36377931.
O'Hara, M. T., Shimozono, T. M., Dye, K. J., Harris, D., & Yang, Z. Surface hydrophilicity
promotes bacterial twitching motility. mSphere. 2024. PMID 39194233.
Dye, K. J., Vogelaar, N. J., O'Hara, M., Sobrado, P., Santos, W., Carlier, P . R., & Yang, Z.
Discovery of Two Inhibitors of the Type IV Pilus Assembly A TPase PilB as Potential Antivirulence Compounds. Microbiology spectrum. 2022. PMID 36377931.