Ana Traven obtained her PhD in 2002 from the University of Zagreb Croatia. As a postdoctoral fellow, she trained at the St. Vincent’s Institute in Melbourne (supported by the NHMRC Peter Doherty training fellowship), and in the Department of Microbiology at Columbia University in New York City (supported by a Short-Term Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Human Frontier Science Program Organisation). In 2009 Ana started her own research group at Monash University, where she is currently Professor and ARC Future Fellow.

Microbial pathogens are responsible for millions of deaths globally, with raising concerns over resistance to available therapies (AMR or antimicrobial drug resistance), and predictions suggesting that by 2050 deaths from infections might become more prevalent that deaths from cancer. In addition to bacteria, fungal pathogens are another important class of microbes which have become prevalent killers, particularly of immunocompromised and severely ill people. Estimates suggest that at least 1.5 million people die from fungal infections every year. Cancer, HIV, organ transplants and intensive care unit hospitalisation are predisposing factors for life-threatening fungal infections. 

In 2022, the WHO published a call to action, the first Fungal Pathogens Priority list. The Traven lab focuses on two of the pathogens that are classified in the top priority group by the WHO: Candida albicans and Candida auris. We are using molecular approaches to understand how these two pathogens regulate their biology to cause infections, as well as their immune responses and evasion mechanisms. We also work on finding compounds with antifungal activity towards improved therapeutic options.