International Society For Antiviral Research

What International Society For Antiviral Research does

International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) is a privately held, nonprofit professional organization founded in 1987 and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, that serves as the principal international convening body for scientists engaged in the basic, applied, and clinical aspects of antiviral research. Its core offering is the annual International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR), described as a "truly interdisciplinary meeting" that attracts chemists, biologists, and clinicians, and is supported by an integrated stack of member services including webinars, scientific publications, an awards and recognition program, travel awards, a members-only job board, and an audio podcast distributed via Spotify. The society's primary customer segment is individual antiviral research scientists across academia and industry, reached through a multi-channel mix that includes the membership portal (hosted on Wild Apricot), an email mailing list, WeChat for Chinese community engagement, the ICAR conference itself, and a podcast.

The business model is consistent with a member-supported nonprofit scientific society. Revenue is not publicly disclosed but is understood to be derived from membership dues, conference registration fees, and tiered corporate sponsorship of ICAR (e.g., Olympian and Diamond sponsorship tiers held by Gilead Sciences and IOCB Tech respectively for ICAR2026), with a US-based operations footprint (contact in the 571 area code) and a small leadership team led by President Dr. Luis M Schang. The society maintains collaborative relationships with peer organizations including the International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids (IS3NA) and the International Antiviral Society – USA. Core technology is not disclosed; no proprietary platform, API, or AI/ML capability is described in the available data, and the organization's competitive position rests on its brand, the network effects of its member community, and the institutional stickiness of its awards and conference ecosystem rather than on any technology stack.

Name

International Society For Antiviral Research

Legal name

International Society for Antiviral Research

Website

https://isar-icar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) is a nonprofit professional society that convenes antiviral research scientists worldwide through its annual ICAR conference, membership services, webinars, publications, and awards programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) is a nonprofit professional scientific society that organizes the annual International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR), an interdisciplinary meeting for chemists, biologists, and clinicians. It offers membership services, webinars, publications, awards, travel awards, and a job board to scientists engaged in basic, applied, and clinical antiviral research.

Product overview

The International Society for Antiviral Research operates as a professional society rather than a product company. Its core offering is the annual International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR), supported by membership services, webinars, publications, awards, and a job board. The society provides these services to its membership base of scientists involved in basic, applied, and clinical antiviral research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICAR (International Conference on Antiviral Research): The Society's main annual interdisciplinary conference attracting chemists, biologists, and clinicians involved in antiviral research

Products and services

• International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR) The Society's flagship annual interdisciplinary meeting attracting chemists, biologists, and clinicians involved in antiviral research. Features abstract submissions, invited speakers, awards, travel awards, and special sessions.
• ISAR Membership Annual membership program for scientists in antiviral research providing access to conferences, webinars, publications, job board, and other member-exclusive resources.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Gilead SciencesflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGilead Sciences serves as the Olympian Sponsor for ICAR2026, the flagship annual conference of the International Society for Antiviral Research. This is the highest tier sponsorship level, providing significant visibility and engagement with the antiviral research community.
• IOCB TechcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIOCB Tech serves as a Diamond Sponsor for ICAR2026. This represents a significant sponsorship commitment supporting the annual International Conference on Antiviral Research.
• International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids (IS3NA)minorOthersInternational Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids is listed as an external link partner organization, indicating a collaborative relationship between the two societies in related scientific fields.
• International Antiviral Society - USAminorOthersInternational Antiviral Society - USA is listed as an external link partner organization, indicating collaboration between the two antiviral societies on shared scientific interests.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET): A US scientific society covering pharmacology including antiviral drug discovery. Comparable in serving researchers who develop antiviral compounds, but with a much broader pharmacology remit than ISAR's narrow antiviral focus.
• International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS): A global umbrella organization uniting microbiology societies worldwide. Comparable in international scientific society role, but at a higher coordination level rather than running a focused antiviral research community.
• American Society for Microbiology (ASM): A much larger scientific society with virology and infectious disease content at its annual ASM Microbe meeting. Comparable membership/society model but operates across all of microbiology rather than focusing on antivirals.
• Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA): A major US-based professional society for infectious disease physicians. Comparable in scientific society structure and conference model (IDWeek), but with a clinical / public-health focus that is broader than ISAR's antiviral research scope.

Regional players

• Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS): A Europe-based federation of microbiology societies, hosting the FEMS Congress and journals. Comparable in nonprofit scientific society model and conference-anchored value, but regional and broader in scope than ISAR.
• European Society for Clinical Virology (ESCV): A Europe-focused scientific society for clinical virologists, hosting an annual meeting. Comparable in society/membership model and virology focus, but geographically concentrated in Europe versus ISAR's global positioning.

Direct peers

• American Society for Virology (ASV): A US-based scientific society for virologists, hosting an annual meeting that overlaps with ISAR's antiviral research focus. Highly comparable in mission, member model, and conference-driven value proposition.
• International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID): A global scientific society for infectious disease professionals. Highly comparable in mission to bridge disciplines, host an international congress, and connect researchers/clinicians, but with a broader infectious disease mandate than ISAR's antiviral focus.
• International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids (IS3NA): A scientific society for nucleic acid chemistry research, listed by ISAR as an external partner. Comparable in scale, nonprofit structure, and membership-driven conference model, with strong chemistry overlap relevant to antiviral drug discovery.
• International Antiviral Society – USA: A nonprofit organization focused on HIV/AIDS and viral diseases education and research. ISAR already lists IAS-USA as a partner, and the two serve overlapping antiviral research communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/isaricar
• Facebookfacebook.com/112532618789123
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-society-for-antiviral-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Society For Antiviral Research