Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica

What Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica does

Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica (IFC-CNR) is a public biomedical research institute operating under Italy's Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), headquartered in Pisa with additional research sites in Massa, Siena, Lecce, and Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1968, the institute is organized into five research divisions — Bioengineering & Biotechnosciences, Epidemiology & Health Promotion, Cardiovascular Physiopathology, Metabolic & Endocrine Physiopathology, and Experimental Oncology — and concentrates specialized infrastructure that includes a cyclotron, an AIFA-authorized GMP radiopharmaceutical compounding facility (Officina Farmaceutica), a multi-omics mass spectrometry platform, the SeeLife biomedical imaging laboratory, bioprinting, a zebrafish facility, and a Biobank. Its primary "customers" are academic and research institutions, hospitals and clinical PET centers, Italian and European public health agencies, and students/early-career researchers.

IFC delivers its outputs through two parallel models. The first is a research-services and grant-funded model, in which the institute operates large-scale infrastructure on behalf of academic and public-sector partners, executes EU-funded projects across health, environment, and digital skills (DIGI-ME, PAS GRAS, SINTESI, TELEMO, TOLIFE, TrialsNet, TALIA), and disseminates findings through publications, conferences, master's programs (e.g., the Master's in Submarine and Hyperbaric Medicine with Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna), and validated software tools such as PisaModel (PM1/PM2 for pulmonary embolism) and EchoCardio-Norm (echocardiographic reference values co-developed with Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio). The second is a quasi-commercial channel in which the Officina Farmaceutica produces 18F-labeled radiopharmaceuticals (18F-FDCPyL, 18F-FDopa, 18F-FET) under AIFA GMP authorization, supplied to clinical PET centers and distributed through agreements with Curium Pharma, Synektik Pharma, and SOFIE, supplemented by technology-transfer agreements (Cardioline for ECG signal analysis) and two CNR spin-offs (Quipu SRL for ultrasound imaging software and MOVE-mentis SRL for posture/wellness analysis). IFC is also ISO 9001:2015 certified for quality management. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; funding derives from CNR institutional allocations, national and EU competitive grants, and GMP radiopharmaceutical production contracts.

Name

Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica

Legal name

Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica Cnr

Website

https://ifc.cnr.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica (IFC-CNR) is a public biomedical research institute under Italy's National Research Council, headquartered in Pisa with satellite sites across Italy, conducting clinical physiology research across five divisions and serving academic institutions, hospitals, public health agencies, and trainees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Medical Laboratories (621511), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Research & Trial Central Laboratories (HLAFAMAL), Data Integration, Interoperability & Reporting (ELR/HIE/CDC/NNDSS) (HLAJABAN)

Keywords

• Clinical physiology research
• Radiopharmaceutical production
• Biomedical imaging
• Epidemiological surveillance
• GMP pharmaceutical compounding

Headquarters

HQ city

Pisa

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica (IFC-CNR) is a public clinical physiology research institute operating across five divisions: Bioengineering & Biotechnosciences, Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Cardiovascular Physiopathology, Metabolic and Endocrine Physiopathology, and Experimental Oncology. It delivers biomedical research services, operates an AIFA-authorized GMP radiopharmaceutical production facility with cyclotron, provides proprietary clinical software tools (EchoCardio-Norm, PisaModel), conducts European epidemiological surveillance (ESPAD), and runs master's degree and training programs in collaboration with universities.

Product overview

Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica (IFC-CNR) is a clinical physiology research institute of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) operating across multiple research divisions: Bioengineering and Biotechnological Sciences, Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Cardiovascular Physiopathology, Metabolic and Endocrine Physiopathology, and Experimental Oncology. The institute offers a portfolio of standalone software products including EchoCardio-Norm for echocardiographic reference values and PisaModel for pulmonary embolism probability calculation. IFC provides major research infrastructures and facilities including Biobank, N2Lab, Cyclotron, GMP-compliant Pharmaceutical Workshop (Officina Farmaceutica), SeeLife Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, Fluorescence Microscopy, Cytofluorimetry, Omics Platform (proteomics/lipidomics), Bioprinting, Zebrafish Laboratory, and ESPAD epidemiological surveillance platform. The infrastructure supports both internal research and external collaborations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Biobanca: A biobank infrastructure providing biological sample storage and management services for research.
• N2Lab
• Ciclotrone
• Officina Farmaceutica
• SeeLife Imaging Biomedico Laboratory
• ESPAD
• PisaModel
• Echo Cardio-Norm

Products and services

• EchoCardio-Norm A clinical software application providing immediate access to normal echocardiographic reference values from multiple sources with automatic selection based on patient age, sex, and ethnicity. Also includes cardiac MRI normal ranges. Available as desktop and mobile application for cardiologists, cardioechographists, anesthesiologists, and radiologists.
• Pisa Model (PM1/PM2) Clinical prediction model available as online calculator and downloadable applications for desktop and mobile devices. Estimates the probability of pulmonary embolism by combining symptoms, signs, and laboratory tests. Targets emergency physicians, internists, and pulmonologists.
• GMP Radiopharmaceutical Production (Officina Farmaceutica) AIFA-authorized pharmaceutical compounding facility producing GMP-grade radiopharmaceuticals for PET diagnostic imaging in oncology and neurology. Distribution to clinical PET centers through partnerships with Curium Pharma, Synektik Pharma, and SOFIE.
• Cyclotron Radiopharmaceutical Production Facility Cyclotron particle accelerator facility producing radiopharmaceutical precursors that feed the Officina Farmaceutica GMP production line and supply PET diagnostic tracers.
• Biobank Biological sample repository providing storage, management, and access services for clinical research samples.
• ESPAD Epidemiological Surveillance Platform European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs - epidemiological surveillance platform for monitoring substance use and addictive behaviors among adolescents across European countries.
• Master's in Submarine and Hyperbaric Medicine "PierGiorgio Data" Postgraduate master's program in submarine and hyperbaric medicine delivered in collaboration with Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, providing specialized training in underwater science and extreme medicine.

Quantifiable outcome

• CNR-IFC authorized by AIFA to produce innovative radiopharmaceutical 18F-FDCPyL for clinical use
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability9 records

Feature13 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MOVE-mentis SRLminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-founded in 2022 by Roberto Guarino of IFC-CNR as a CNR spin-off. Develops hardware and software solutions for analyzing psycho-physical well-being, with specific focus on posture and movement assessment and health technology evaluation.
• Fondazione Toscana 'G. Monasterio' (FTGM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFC-CNR and FTGM jointly developed the EchoCardio-Norm application for calculating normal echocardiographic reference values. The two institutions collaborate on cardiac imaging research, with Dr. Massimiliano Cantinotti (FTGM) as co-author and Marco Paterni (IFC-CNR) leading software development.
• Scuola Superiore Sant'AnnacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFC collaborates with the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna on the Master's program in Submarine and Hyperbaric Medicine 'PierGiorgio Data', with Ing. Marco Laurino as IFC-CNR responsible and Chiara Benvenuti coordinating IFC-CNR activities. Joint teaching and research in underwater science and extreme medicine.
• Quipu SRLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded by IFC researchers (including Francesco Faita and Vincenzo Gemignani) as a CNR and University of Pisa spin-off. Quipu SRL develops and commercializes ultrasound image processing software. Represents IFC's primary technology transfer vehicle in biomedical imaging.
• European Commission (multiple projects)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFC participates in multiple EU-funded projects including DIGI-ME (digital skills for innovation), PAS GRAS (youth obesity prevention), SINTESI (environmental health in Massa-Carrara), TELEMO (regional), TOLIFE (EU project), TrialsNet (EU project), TALIA (regional), and ESPAD (European drug abuse survey). These multi-institution collaborations span across member states.
• Cardioline S.p.A.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLucia Billeci leads a technology transfer project with Cardioline S.p.A. for implementing ECG signal analysis algorithms to be integrated into electrocardiographs produced by the company, optimizing signal processing for improved clinical diagnosis.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Curium Pharma: Global specialty radiopharmaceutical manufacturer that co-operates within IFC's CNR Pisa infrastructure; comparable as an industry-side GMP radiopharmaceutical producer whose network defines the competitive set IFC's Officina Farmaceutica must operate within.
• IRCCS network (Italian Specialized Research Hospitals/Care Institutes): Network of Italian publicly-funded specialized research and care institutes (e.g. IEO, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, San Raffaele); broader peer to IFC as an ecosystem of public-sector research-and-clinical-translation entities that compete for similar national/EU funding and talent.

Regional players

• Karolinska Institutet: Sweden's medical university with large biomedical research infrastructure and EU-funded clinical/translational research; comparable to IFC in operating as a publicly-backed European hub combining clinical physiology research, omics, and imaging — though operating in a different national funding system.
• Helmholtz Association: Germany's largest scientific organization, running large-scale research infrastructure (e.g. imaging, accelerators); comparable to IFC in operating big-science facilities under public funding and producing both fundamental research and translational outputs.
• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's largest applied-research organization with institute-level entities operating infrastructure for industry and public clients; comparable to IFC in running shared large-scale research infrastructure, generating spin-offs, and blending public-grant funding with contracted industrial research.

Direct peers

• Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri: Milan-based independent non-profit pharmacological research institute running translational research programs and clinical studies; comparable to IFC in operating as a publicly-backed, grant-funded research organization producing clinical guidance and engaging industry partners.
• Istituto Europeo di Oncologia (IEO): Milan-based IRCCS combining oncology research with clinical care; comparable to IFC's Experimental Oncology division and its location within the Siena Toscana Life Sciences campus, sharing the Italian publicly-supported translational-research model.
• Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare (IFOM): Milan-based molecular oncology research institute founded by FIRC and affiliated with Italian universities; comparable as another large, publicly-funded Italian life sciences research organization with significant infrastructure, spin-off activity, and international collaborations — mirroring IFC's CNR-backed model.
• Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT): Italy's largest public applied-research institute with multi-disciplinary labs and a national footprint; comparable to IFC as a publicly-funded research entity operating shared infrastructure, generating spin-offs, and contributing to EU-funded scientific programs.

Others

• Toscana Life Sciences Foundation: Tuscan life-sciences cluster host on whose Siena campus IFC maintains its oncology research office; comparable as a regional ecosystem partner providing shared infrastructure, industry networking, and translational-research services that complement IFC's offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@IFCCNR
• Facebookfacebook.com/CnrIfc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cnr-ifc-national-research-council-institute-of-clinical-physiology
• Xx.com/cnrdta

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica