Dr Benedikt Ley

Senior Research Fellow

Qualifications:

PhD, University of Vienna, Austria, 2013; Master of Public Health, University of Liverpool, UK, 2011; Master of Science, University of Vienna, Austria, 2007

Location:

Darwin - Royal Darwin Hospital campus

Biography:

Benedikt Ley is a public health expert with a focus on diagnostics, Malaria and G6PD deficiency. He started his career in 2008 with the University of Vienna (Austria), based in Bangladesh working on infectious diseases in the Bangladesh / Myanmar border region.

He joined the International Vaccine Institute (Korea) based in Zanzibar and subsequently in Kenya focussing on typhoid fever. In 2012 Benedikt joined the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp (Belgium) where he worked on Salmonella spp. infections and in parallel completed his PhD in 2013 with the University of Vienna on the diagnosis of cholera and typhoid fever.

In 2014 Benedikt moved to Darwin, Australia, and joined the Menzies School of Health Research where he focuses on Malaria and G6PD deficiency. He also teaches in Menzies Postgraduate Public Health programs for Charles Darwin University and coordinates the Vivax Working Group of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN).

Details on his scientific output to date can be found here.

Dr Benedikt Ley
Email
Research Themes
  1. Pfeffer, D.A., Ley, B., Howes, R.E., Adu, P., Alam, M.S., [...], Price, R.N._(Awaiting publication). Quantification of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity by spectrophotometry: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Med.
  2. Ley, B., Winasti Satyagraha, A., Rahmat, H., von Fricken, M.E., Douglas, N.M., [...], Price, R.N. (2019). Performance of the Access Bio/CareStart rapid diagnostic test for the detection of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Med, 16(12):e1002992.
  3. Taylor, W.R.J., Thriemer, K., von Seidlein, L., Yuentrakul, P., Assawariyathipat, T., Assefa, A., [...], Price, R.N. (2019). Short-course primaquine for the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria: a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled non-inferiority trial. Lancet, 394(10202), 929-938. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31285-1.
  4. Alam, M.S., Kibria, M.G., Jahan, N., Thriemer, K., Hossain, M.S., [...], Ley, B. (2018). Field evaluation of quantitative point of care diagnostics to measure glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. PLoS One, 13(11), 13:e0206331. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206331.
  5. Commons, R.J., Simpson, J.A., Thriemer, K., Humphreys, G.S., Abreha, T., [...], Price, R.N. (2018). The effect of chloroquine dose and primaquine on Plasmodium vivax recurrence: a WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network systematic review and individual patient pooled meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis, 18(9), 1025-1034. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30348-7.
  6. Thriemer, K., Ley, B., Bobogare, A., Dysoley, L., Alam, M.S., [...] and Price, R.N. (2017). Challenges for achieving safe and effective radical cure of Plasmodium vivax: a round table discussion of the APMEN Vivax Working Group. Malaria Journal, 16:141.
  7. Ley, B., Thriemer, K., Jaswal, J., Poirot, E., Alam, M.S., [...] and Price, R.N. (2017). Barriers to routine G6PD testing prior to treatment with primaquine. Malaria Journal, 16:329.
  8. Ley, B., Bancone, G., von Seidlein, L., Thriemer, K., Richards, J.S., Domingo, G.J. and Price, R.N. (2017). Methods for the field evaluation of quantitative G6PD diagnostics: a review. Malaria Journal, 16:361.
  9. Ley, B., Alam, M.S., O'Donnell, J.J., Hossain, M.S., Kibria, M.G., [...] and Richards, J.S. (2017). A Comparison of Three Quantitative Methods to Estimate G6PD Activity in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. PLoS One, 12, e0169930.
  10. Ley, B., Alam, M.S., Thriemer, K., Hossain, M.S., Kibria, M.G., [...] and Khan, W.A. (2016). G6PD Deficiency and Antimalarial Efficacy for Uncomplicated Malaria in Bangladesh: A Prospective Observational Study. PLoS One, 11:e0154015.
Click here to view more Benedikt Ley publications
  1. MEDIA RELEASE | Menzies researchers RESPOND to priority diseases in our global neighbourhood

    MEDIA RELEASE | Menzies researchers RESPOND to priority diseases in our global neighbourhood

    Date

    Menzies will lead a 4-year health system strengthening partnership in the Asia-Pacific region, under the Partnerships for a Healthy Region Initiative by the Australian Government.

  2. MEDIA RELEASE | Is malaria treatment safer than we think? New study investigates

    MEDIA RELEASE | Is malaria treatment safer than we think? New study investigates

    Date

    A new international research collaboration led by Menzies is set to examine whether the risk of severe side effects from vivax malaria medication, primaquine, is lower than assumed to date.

  3. Finding innovative solutions to eliminate vivax malaria by 2030

    Finding innovative solutions to eliminate vivax malaria by 2030

    Date

    New research by Menzies’ malaria team is identifying innovative new ways to eliminate Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) malaria by 2030.

  4. Menzies investigators and international collaborators from ACROSS and other institutions have published a meta-analysis

    Menzies investigators and international collaborators from ACROSS and other institutions have published a meta-analysis

    Date

    Menzies investigators and international collaborators have published a meta-analysis and identified a point of care test for the diagnosis of G6PD deficiency with suitable reliability for routine use. Further feasibility studies are under way to assess its reliability under field conditions.

  5. New study shows faster way to cure vivax malaria

    New study shows faster way to cure vivax malaria

    Date

    A large clinical trial in Africa and Asia has shown that a 7 day course of high dose primaquine, a drug used to treat P. vivax malaria, is well tolerated.

  6. 7th International Conference on Plasmodium vivax Research | Final Report

    7th International Conference on Plasmodium vivax Research | Final Report

    Date

    MESA Correspondents bring you cutting-edge coverage from the 7th International Conference on Plasmodium vivax Research (ICPVR 2019).

  7. Asia–Pacific research partnerships set to tackle big challenges

    Asia–Pacific research partnerships set to tackle big challenges

    Date

    The largest grant, of $257,767, goes to the Menzies School of Health Research for a project with collaborators in Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Netherlands.

  8. SMH | Commonwealth regional research grants key to 'science diplomacy'

    SMH | Commonwealth regional research grants key to 'science diplomacy'

    Date

    Among the other projects funded are the Menzies School of Health Research partnering with Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal to develop malaria treatments.