Gladstone Institutes

What Gladstone Institutes does

Gladstone Institutes is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research organization founded in 1979 through a planned gift from real estate developer J. David Gladstone. Headquartered at 1650 Owens Street in San Francisco's Mission Bay district, it operates five interconnected research institutes — Cardiovascular Disease, Data Science and Biotechnology, Genomic Immunology, Infectious Disease, and Neurological Disease — across more than 30 laboratories employing 600+ scientists and 189 graduate students and postdocs. The organization's research portfolio spans cardiovascular, neurological, infectious, immunological, and genetic diseases, with notable concentration on cardiovascular and HIV cure research.

The organization's core technology stack includes CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing (co-invented by senior investigator and 2020 Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna), induced pluripotent stem cell technology (developed by 2012 Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka), AI-driven research tools (the MaxToki cell-aging model, an AI-powered "thinking microscope," and machine-learning algorithms at the Center for PhAIge Therapy for designing bacteriophage treatments), and precision genome editing combined with bacteriophage engineering. Recent product developments include Hypoxistat (a small-molecule diabetes drug that completely reversed high blood sugar in mouse models), the HIV-seq single-cell profiling tool, the CyTOF-Lec single-cell glycomics technique, and research identifying the Nell2 protein as a potential early-intervention target for APOE4-driven Alzheimer's disease.

Gladstone operates on an annual budget of approximately $125 million, with roughly $80 million sourced from NIH grants and the balance from philanthropy and industry partnerships. It generates value through scientific publications, technology licensing, collaborations with pharmaceutical partners (Vir Biotechnology, Takeda, Eli Lilly), and formation of spin-out companies — most notably Tenaya Therapeutics, launched in 2016 with $50 million Series A financing from The Column Group to advance cardiovascular regenerative medicine. The organization is offsetting an approximate 10 percent federal funding reduction through an active $350 million philanthropy campaign launched in 2024, which had raised approximately $200 million by early 2026. Co-leads of multi-institutional initiatives such as the HOPE Collaboratory ($26.5M NIH grant, 16 member institutions) and the CAPT-CEP phage therapy network anchor its translational research positioning.

Name

Gladstone Institutes

Legal name

J. David Gladstone Institutes

Website

https://gladstone.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Gladstone Institutes is an independent nonprofit biomedical research organization operating five interconnected institutes in San Francisco's Mission Bay. Founded in 1979, it employs 600+ scientists across 30+ labs to advance therapies for cardiovascular, neurological, infectious, and immunological diseases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Protein Interaction & Structural Biology Platforms (cryo-EM, X-ray, NMR, biophysics) (HLAAAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Biomedical research
• Drug discovery
• Stem cell research
• Genome editing
• Infectious disease research

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. NIH Grant Funding: Primary revenue source at approximately $80 million of the $125 million annual budget, from National Institutes of Health grants for various research programs
2. Philanthropy and Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and planned giving programs including the Gladstone Society legacy giving program
3. Industry Partnerships: Collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotech companies including Vir Biotechnology, Takeda, and Eli Lilly; licensing of technologies and formation of spinout companies
4. Philanthropy Campaign: Active fundraising campaign launched in 2024 with goal of $350 million, having raised roughly $200 million

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gladstone Institutes is an independent nonprofit biomedical research organization operating five interconnected institutes (Cardiovascular Disease, Data Science and Biotechnology, Genomic Immunology, Infectious Disease, and Neurological Disease) that conduct disease-driven basic and translational research. The organization develops drug candidates, AI research tools, genome editing techniques, and clinical-stage therapies, and advances discoveries through technology licensing and spinout companies such as Tenaya Therapeutics.

Product overview

Gladstone Institutes is an independent nonprofit biomedical research organization operating five interconnected research institutes: Cardiovascular Disease, Data Science and Biotechnology, Genomic Immunology, Infectious Disease (formerly Virology), and Neurological Disease. The organization offers research programs including the HOPE Collaboratory for HIV cure research and BioFulcrum entrepreneurial model. Recent product launches include the Center for PhAIge Therapy (AI-driven phage therapy), MaxToki AI model (cell aging prediction), HIV-seq tool (HIV research), and Hypoxistat drug candidate (diabetes treatment). The organization also facilitates spin-off companies like Tenaya Therapeutics to advance promising therapies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Survival extended by more than 40 times in mouse model of rare genetic disorder through vitamin B3 supplementation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Topos BiosupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Research partnership focused on alpha-synuclein targeting intrinsically disordered proteins implicated in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
• The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021Co-lead of the HOPE Collaboratory focused on HIV cure research using 'block-lock-excise' approach; Susana Valente serves as co-principal investigator
• Weill Cornell MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021Co-lead of the HOPE Collaboratory with Lishomwa Ndhlovu serving as Co-Principal Investigator; 16 member institutions worldwide
• UC San Diego (Last Gift Study)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical partnership providing data and samples from people living with HIV for HOPE Collaboratory research
• US Military HIV Research Program (AFRICOS)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with African Cohort Study providing clinical samples from Africa for HIV cure research
• San Francisco AIDS FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity engagement partner for HOPE Collaboratory ensuring resulting therapeutics are welcomed by people living with HIV
• AmgensupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner providing insight into development of potential therapeutics from drugs studied in HOPE labs
• Sangamo TherapeuticssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner with insight into development of potential HIV therapeutics from HOPE research
• ProvirexsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner for HIV cure therapeutic development
• UC BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner in BioFulcrum Viral and Infectious Disease Research Program including Jeff Cox; also partnered with Jennifer Doudna's lab for CRISPR research
• UC San FranciscocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Mission Bay innovation hub; co-development of genomic immunology institute; multiple collaborative research programs
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in BioFulcrum and CAPT-CEP network for phage therapy research
• Vir BiotechnologysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner working with Gladstone on biotech research
• Takeda PharmaceuticalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner for drug discovery and development collaborations
• Eli Lilly and CompanysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner for therapeutic development
• American Society for Microbiology (ASM)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerASM's Phage Therapy Coordination Network collaborating with CAPT-CEP network through quarterly scientific exchanges and shared database
• Stanford University (CAPT-CEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three Centers for Accelerating Phage Therapy funded by NIH to combat antibiotic-resistant ESKAPE pathogens
• University of Pittsburgh (CAPT-CEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three Centers for Accelerating Phage Therapy funded by NIH to combat antibiotic-resistant ESKAPE pathogens

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Scripps Research: Independent nonprofit biomedical research organization with comparable scale (~3,000 staff) and broad disease-area coverage, including chemistry, neuroscience, immunology, and structural biology. Highly comparable to Gladstone in mission, funding mix, and PhD/postdoc training model.
• Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Independent nonprofit biological research institute in La Jolla covering cancer, neuroscience, immunology, and plant biology. Closely comparable to Gladstone in governance structure, funding model, and investigator-driven basic research orientation.
• Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research: MIT-affiliated nonprofit research institute focused on cancer, regenerative biology, and genetic disease. Directly comparable to Gladstone in size, mission, and the university-adjacent operating model, with similar spinout activity (e.g., Alnylam Pharmaceuticals).
• Stowers Institute for Medical Research: Independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in Kansas City with ~500 researchers across ~20 independent programs. Closely comparable to Gladstone in endowment-style philanthropy funding and investigator-led disease research.
• Allen Institute: Nonprofit medical research organization founded by Paul Allen, operating multiple institutes (Brain, Cell Science, Immunology, AI for Health). Directly comparable as an independent nonprofit with strong technology platform development and AI/biomedicine integration, similar to Gladstone's MaxToki and thinking-microscope work.
• Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard: Joint MIT/Harvard biomedical and genomic research institute. Comparable to Gladstone in scale (~4,000 scientists), heavy use of genomic and computational biology, and major NIH funding. Both compete and collaborate in CRISPR and genomic immunology research.
• Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research (MIT): MIT-based cancer-focused research institute combining engineering, biology, and clinical translation. Comparable to Gladstone in mission-driven basic-to-translational research model and industry partnership approach.
• Buck Institute for Research on Aging: Independent nonprofit biomedical research institute solely focused on aging and age-related disease. Comparable to Gladstone's Neurological Disease Institute in disease focus and to its independent nonprofit operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): Largest U.S. private biomedical research organization, supporting ~300 Investigators across HHMI-operated and university-affiliated labs. Operates a similar nonprofit research model at greater scale than Gladstone, with comparable focus on investigator-driven basic science and translational pipelines.

Emerging players

• Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF): Pharma-affiliated (Novartis) biomedical research organization with strong high-throughput biology and drug discovery platforms. Comparable to Gladstone's drug-discovery platforms and industry-partnership orientation, though operating under a for-profit umbrella rather than independent nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• Facebookfacebook.com/gladstoneinstitutes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Gladstone Institutes