Mohammad Ahmad Ghattas, Ph.D

Dean, College of Pharmacy

Professor

Abu Dhabi Campus

+971 2 6133275

Pharmacy@aau.ac.ae

Education

Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

B.Pharm. Faculty of Pharmacy, Phildephia University – Amman, Jordan

Research Interests

My research interest lies in the field of computer-aided drug design where I focus in three main areas:

(1) Designing and discovery of new inhibitors for different drug targets using structure-based and ligand-based approaches;

(2) Assessing protein structures in terms of pocket protein-ligand interactions and druggability:

(3) Investigating the aggregation molecular behavior of small organic molecules using molecular dynamics simulations.

Selected Publications

  • Hasan S, Kayed K, Ghemrawi R, ... Atatreh N, Ghattas MA*. Molecular Modelling Study and Antibacterial Evaluation of Diphenylmethane Derivatives as Potential FabI Inhibitors. Molecules, 2023, 28(7), 3000

  •  Kharaba Z, AlAhmad MM, Ahmed Elnour A, ... Abumweis S, Ghattas, MA. Are we ready yet for digital transformation? Virtual versus on-campus OSCE as assessment tools in pharmacy education. A randomized controlled head-to-head comparative assessment. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 2023, 31(3), 359–369.

  •  Salem AA, El Haty, IA, Ghattas MA. GW-2974 and SCH-442416 modulators of tyrosine kinase and adenosine receptors can also stabilize human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA. PLoS ONE, 2022, 17(12 December), e0277963

  •  Mahgoub RE, Mohamed FE, Alzyoud L, ...Atatreh N, Ghattas MA*. The Discovery of Small Allosteric and Active Site Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease via Structure-Based Virtual Screening and Biological Evaluation Molecules, 2022, 27(19), 6710.

  •  Alzyoud L, Ghattas MA*, Atatreh N. Allosteric Binding Sites of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease: Potential Targets for Broad-Spectrum Anti-Coronavirus Agents. Drug Design, Development and Therapy. 2022, 16, 2463–2478.

  • Alzyoud L, Bryce RA, Al Sorkhy M, Atatreh N, Ghattas MA*. Structure-based assessment and druggability classification of protein-protein interaction sites. Scientific Reports. 2022, 12(1), 7975

  • Ghemrawi R, Khair M, Hasan S, Aldulaymi R, AlNeyadi SS, Atatreh N, Ghattas MA*. The Discovery of Potent SHP2 Inhibitors with Anti-Proliferative Activity in Breast Cancer Cell Lines. International journal of molecular sciences 23 (8), 4468 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23084468

  • Al Neyadi SS, Adem A, Amer N, Ghattas MA, Atatreh N, Salem AA, Abdou IM. Activation of the GLP-1 receptor by chloropyrimidine derivatives. Results in Chemistry. 3, 2021, 100222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rechem.2021.100222

  • Ramadan A, Hasan S, Jamal S, Moumen I, Atatreh N, Ghattas MA*. Development of a novel filtered-based pharmacophore for the identification of human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 inhibitors. Jordan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 14, 3, 293-306, 2021.

  •  Atatreh N, Hasan S, Ali BR, Ghattas MA*. Computer-aided approaches reveal Trihydroxychroman and Pyrazolone derivatives as potential inhibitors of SARS-COV-2 virus main protease. Acta Pharmaceutica, Volume 71, Pages 325-333, 2021. https://doi.org/10.2478/acph-2021-0040

Conferences

  1. Alzyoud L, Mahgoub R, Mohamed F, Ali BR, Rabeh W, Atatreh N, Ghattas MA. «Design and Biological evaluation of Drug-Like Inhibitors Targeting the Allosteric Site of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Enzyme». SCS Fall Meeting 2022, September 8, 2022, Zürich, Switzerland
  1. Mahgoub R, Mohamed F, Ali BR, Rabeh W, Atatreh N, Ghattas MA. Discovery of leadlike inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease enzyme (Mpro) as a potential treatment of COVID-19. The 2022 CCG European UGM & Conference. May 17-20, 2022 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
  2. Ghattas MA, Atatreh N, Al Rawashdah S, Bryce RA. Enzyme adsorption by drug aggregates: probing the molecular basis of inhibitor promiscuity using molecular dynamics simulations. Molecular targets conference. Nov, 2018 in Dublin, Irland.
  3. Al-Rawashdeh S, Amer R, Gamal M, Hamrouni AM, Atatreh N, Ghattas MA. Molecular Modeling Study on the Alpha7 Nicotinic Receptor Allosteric Modulators. ZTIPC 2017, 29th – 30th Nov, 2017, Amman, Jordan. (Poster presented by Al-Rawashdeh S)
  4. Atatreh N, Al-Rawashdeh S, Abu Hamdah S, Ghattas MA. Discovery of New Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors via structure-based drug design. ChemCys 2018, 21st – 23rd Feb, 2018, Blankeburg, Belguim. (Poster presented by N Atatreh)
  5. Ghattas MA, Atatreh N, Al Rawashdah S, Bryce RA. Studying the molecular basis of promiscuity via conducting Molecular dynamics simulation of aggregate-enzyme complex in solutions. ChemCys 2018, 21st – 23rd Feb, 2018, Blankeburg, Belguim. (Poster presented by MA Ghattas)
  6. Ghattas MA, Eissa NA, Obaid D, Atatreh N. Discovery of Novel Antimicrobial Agents via Structure-Based Drug Design. Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry 12th – 15th Feb 2017, Bern, Switzerland (Poster presented by MA Ghattas)
  7. Atatreh N, Al-Rawashdeh S, Abu Hamdah S, Ghattas MA. Drug Design Approach for Discovering New Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors. Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry 12th – 15th Feb 2017, Bern, Switzerland. (Poster presented by N Atatreh)
  8. Ghattas MA, Raslan N, Sadek A, Atatreh N. Druggability assessment of protein tyrosine phosphatase binding site. AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutic, 5th – 9th November 2015, Boston, USA. (Poster presented by MA Ghattas) doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-15-B44
  9. Atatreh N, Mansour RA, Ghattas MA. Molecular modeling approach for exploring the MDM2 active site for the discovery of new P53-MDM2 inhibitors. AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutic, 5th – 9th November 2015, Boston, USA. (Poster presented by N. Atatreh) doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-15-B45
  10. Ghattas MA, Mansour RA, Atatreh N. A Novel Approach to Improve Enoyl Acyl Carrier Protein Reductases Virtual Screens. Drug Design 2014 Conference, 23rd – 26th  September 2014, Oxford, United Kingdom. (Poster presented by M. Ghattas).
  11. Ghattas, M.; Bryce, R. A; Bichenkova, E. V. The Discovery of small leadlike Inhibitors of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase-1B Using Structure-Based Design Approaches. 11th Eurasia Conference on Chemical Sciences. 6th – 10th  October 2010, The Dead Sea, Jordan. (Oral talk presented by M. Ghattas).
  12. Ghattas, M.; Bichenkova, E. V.; Bryce, R. A. New Lead-like Allosteric Inhibitors of PTP1B as a Potential Therapy for Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Diet-Induced Obesity by 2nd International Conference on Drug Discovery and Therapy. 1st 4th February 2010, Dubai, UAE. (Poster presented by M. Ghattas).
  13. Ghattas, M.; Bryce, R. A.; Tabernero, L.; Bichenkova, E. V. Design of Selective Inhibitors of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases' by Medicinal Genomics and Proteomics. Novosibirsk, Russia, September 2009 (Oral talk presented by Dr. E. Bichenkova).

Teaching Courses

  • Drug Discvoery & Design (MSc.)
  • Medicinal Chemistry I (BSc.)
  • Medicinal Chemistry II (BSc.)
  • Biochemistry & Biotechnology (BSc.)

 

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all.

This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  

 

Memberships

  • Member of American Chemical Society, USA.
  • Member of Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC), UK.
  • Member of the Jordanian Pharmaceutical Association, Jordan.