Benjamin Blasco is the Discovery Senior Project Manager at the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP). He is responsible for delivering appropriate biology support to all Discovery & Exploratory Research (DER) projects. In this role, Benjamin provides scientific guidance and leadership to multiple drug discovery project teams focused on innovative treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections.
Benjamin has broad expertise in microbiology, molecular pharmacology, and drug discovery, with over 15 years of experience in infectious diseases, including Gram-negative bacterial infections, malaria, and tuberculosis. Prior to joining GARDP, he served as a Research Scientist at Medicines for Malaria Venture, where he managed projects ranging from biological test platforms to drug discovery programmes. His work included delivering data on antimalarial drug resistance and developing strategies in collaboration with academic leaders and expert investigators working closely with clinical sites in Africa.
Benjamin’s earlier research involved studying virulence regulators of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and developing assays to screen for anti-virulence compounds. He holds a master’s degree in molecular and biological chemistry and a PhD in molecular life sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). He also obtained his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in 2017.