Dr Aya Taki leads Anthelmintic Discovery Program in the Gasser Parasitology Laboratory at the Melbourne Veterinary School. Her research focuses on the discovery and development of novel, effective drugs and drug-combinations against parasites of clinical and socio-economic importance. Dr Taki's expertise lies in high-throughput screening (HTS) and the discovery of drugs with anti-parasitic potential. Her research encompasses key areas of parasitology, including drug discovery and development, drug target identification, parasite biology, host-parasite relationships, and the control of parasitic diseases. Through public-private partnerships, her team has screened hundreds of thousands of compounds from diverse libraries using the newly established HTS platform (> 300,000 compounds in 2023). She critically assesses the potential of novel active compounds for subsequent optimisation or repurposing using advanced technologies and approaches, aiming to create value for medical and veterinary industries. Her ultimate goal is to advance anthelmintic discovery, and translate scientific discoveries into industry-relevant products for commercialisation.

With over 17 years of research experience in infectious diseases, clinical and experimental immunology, Dr Taki has gained extensive skills in understanding host-pathogen interactions, developing assays and technology, and performing in vitro and in vivo biochemical and immunological evaluations for therapeutics.

Dr Taki received her PhD in 2014 from RMIT University, where she was awarded the CASS Foundation Medicine/Science grant to develop a novel antigen delivery system, investigating its potential as a next-generation vaccine. Prior to her PhD, she completed her Honours Degree at RMIT University, characterising the properties of proteins from malaria parasites as new vaccine candidates. In 2016, following her training as a molecular biologist at RMIT, Dr Taki joined the Molecular Allergy Research Laboratory within the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine at James Cook University. Supported by an NHMRC Project Grant, she developed therapeutics for food allergy in collaboration with Westmead Children's Hospital. Her work identified clinically relevant allergens from commonly ingested fish species in 100 fish-allergic Australian children and involved designing and supervising clinical studies with 80 seafood-allergic patients in North Queensland. This research led to improvements in seafood allergy diagnosis and informed food safety policies in Australia and South-East Asia. Her contributions to public awareness of seafood allergy were recognised through media interviews and public speeches. Her work was also recognised with the Reperio Business Innovation Competition, sponsored by JCU and Brandon Capital Partners.

Subsequently, Dr Taki emerged as a Lead Researcher on a collaborative project between JCU and MBD Energy Ltd (now Pacific Biotechnologies), supported by a Commonwealth Innovation Connection Grant. She supervised, coordinated and executed trials aimed at creating marketable nutraceuticals for treating inflammatory gut disorders.

Her expertise in drug and vaccine development, as well as regulatory requirements for therapeutic products, led to her appointment as a guest lecturer for Pharmacy and Biomedical Studies. She also coordinated the practical components for Biochemistry at JCU, managing a cohort of 100+ students. Dr Taki has developed a strong skill set that combines world-class research with high-level teaching.

Research Fellow (Drug Discovery)

Melbourne Veterinary School

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Faculty of Science

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Parasitology

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