Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA

What Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA does

The Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS UBA-CONICET) is a public non-profit research institute founded in 1987 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, originally as the Centro Nacional de Referencia para el Sida. It operates under dual institutional governance by the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and CONICET, occupying approximately 1,400 m² across floors 11 and 12 of UBA's Faculty of Medicine with a workforce of 107 personnel including 26 CONICET researchers and 36 doctoral fellows. Its mandate spans basic, epidemiological, and clinical research on infectious diseases and immune responses, with primary focus areas in HIV/AIDS (as the national reference center), SARS-CoV-2, Chagas disease, hepatitis, HTLV, dengue, and tuberculosis, and a newer line in cancer immunotherapy anchored by a Wellcome Trust Early Career Award.

INBIRS's core technical infrastructure includes an ISO 9001:2015 certified clinical laboratory with BSL-3 pathogen-handling capability, flow cytometry (FACSAria FUSION), confocal and epifluorescence microscopy (Zeiss LSM 880, Nikon Eclipse Ti-S L100), and the Biobank of Infectious Diseases (BBEI). It delivers four primary product lines: diagnostic services to patients (virological and immunological testing), fee-for-service research support (flow cytometry, microscopy) to external academic institutions, participation in HIV and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine clinical trials, and biosample provisioning via BBEI. Notable scientific contributions include the 'Esperanza Patient' HIV sterilizing cure study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, Sputnik V vaccine immunogenicity studies, and identification of superoxide dismutase as a Chagas cardiomyopathy biomarker.

The institute is funded primarily through public institutional allocations from UBA and CONICET, supplemented by fee-for-service diagnostic revenue, extramural research grants (Wellcome Trust, Red VALIDATE, L'Oréal-UNESCO-CONICET, ANPCyT), and clinical trial participation. Its go-to-market operates on two axes: direct-to-patient diagnostic services through the Argentine public health system, and event-driven scientific visibility through participation in international conferences (IAS, CROI, ISEV, SAI, SADI, ALACI, CAV). Distribution is purely domestic with no commercial sales infrastructure, and the institute holds a registered trademark (INBIRS) but no patents in the input data.

Name

Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA

Legal name

Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA

Website

https://inbirs.org.ar

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

INBIRS is an Argentine public non-profit research institute (UBA-CONICET) conducting basic, epidemiological, and clinical research on HIV, COVID-19, Chagas, and other infectious diseases, serving patients through public health system diagnostics and researchers via certified laboratory and biobank services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Infectious Disease Research and Diagnostic Services

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAFAMAD

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Clinical Laboratories

SECONDARYHLAKAGAA

General Infectious Disease

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Infectious Disease

SECONDARYHLAKAGAH

Tuberculosis & Mycobacterial Diseases

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Infectious Disease

SECONDARYHLAHAAAC

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (Culture/ID/AST)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Medical Devices & Diagnostics/In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) & Laboratory Diagnostics

Keywords

• Infectious disease research
• Virological diagnostic services
• Immunology research services
• Clinical trial research
• Infectious disease biobank

Headquarters

HQ city

Buenos Aires

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Institutional Funding (CONICET & UBA): INBIRS operates as a public research institute with double dependency on Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and CONICET (National Scientific and Technical Research Council). Core funding is derived from Argentine government research grants, institutional budgets, and CONICET career positions. No commercial revenue model.
2. Diagnostic and Research Services: Provides fee-for-service diagnostic testing for patients and technical services (flow cytometry, microscopy) to external researchers. Service revenue supplements institutional funding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

INBIRS is a public non-profit research institute that develops scientific knowledge in virology, immunology, and infectious diseases, and delivers specialized services including virological and immunological diagnostic testing for patients, advanced flow cytometry and microscopy services for external researchers, and participation in HIV and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine clinical trials. It also operates the Biobank of Infectious Diseases (BBEI) as a national resource for biological samples used in infectious disease research.

Product overview

INBIRS is a scientific research institute that operates as a unified service and research platform. It offers diagnostic services to patients (virological and immunological analysis), research support services to investigators (flow cytometry and microscopy), and participates in clinical trials for HIV and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. The institute also maintains the Biobanco de Enfermedades Infecciosas (BBEI), a biobank that stores biological samples for infectious disease research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Servicio a Pacientes (Patient Diagnostic Services)

Quantifiable outcome

• Published 'A Possible Sterilizing Cure of HIV-1 Infection Without Stem Cell Transplantation' (Annals of Internal Medicine), recognized among the best publications of 2021 and as the second potential HIV cure case globally.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fundación Instituto LeloircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with Fundación Instituto Leloir on multiple research projects including SARS-CoV-2 vaccine studies (Sputnik V), breastfeeding and COVID-19 antibody transmission research, and COVID-19 immune response characterization in people living with HIV. The partnership combines INBIRS's virology and immunology expertise with Leloir's vaccine development capabilities.
• Hospital Materno Infantil Ramón SardácoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Hospital Materno Infantil Ramón Sardá on breastfeeding and COVID-19 research, studying antibody transmission from vaccinated mothers to infants through breast milk. INBIRS provides immunological expertise and testing; the hospital provides clinical access to lactating women.
• Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and HarvardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration on the 'Esperanza Patient' HIV cure study. INBIRS researchers (Turk, Polo, Czernikier, Ghiglione, Laufer) worked with Ragon Institute (Yu, Lichterfeld, Seiger et al.) on the landmark publication in Annals of Internal Medicine describing a potential sterilizing cure of HIV without stem cell transplantation.
• International AIDS Society (IAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple INBIRS researchers (Gabriela Turk, Natalia Laufer, Yanina Ghiglione) hold committee positions and present at IAS conferences. The society provides conference platforms and research support grants to INBIRS researchers for HIV science.
• International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINBIRS researchers Matías Ostrowski (elected Board Member at Large 2026-2028) and Paula Pérez (Local Organizing Committee member) represent Argentina in ISEV. They coordinate the Argentine Group of Extracellular Vesicles (GAVE).
• Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDouble institutional dependency: INBIRS is jointly operated by UBA (through Faculty of Medicine) and CONICET, combining academic research capacity with national science council funding and career structures.
• CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDouble institutional dependency with CONICET providing funding, career positions for researchers and technical staff, and national research coordination. INBIRS staff include 26 CONICET researchers, 14 CONICET technicians, and 11 CONICET professionals.
• Hospital de Enfermedades Infecciosas Francisco MuñizminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on COVID-19 research studying platelet levels and CD4+ T cell functionality in COVID-19 disease progression.
• Hospital de ClínicasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on COVID-19 research studying platelet levels and CD4+ T cell functionality in COVID-19 disease progression.
• Sanatorio GüemesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on syphilis molecular typing research with Silvia Balinotti from Sanatorio Güemes.
• Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ, México)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexican collaborator on tuberculosis research (7-oxo-DHEA therapeutic potential study) led by Jorge Barrios-Payán and Rogelio Hernández-Pando.
• Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez (México)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Ricardo Márquez Velasco on pulmonary tuberculosis research.
• Red VALIDATEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network driving vaccine development against intracellular neglected pathogens including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Dra. Luciana Balboa's project on BCG vaccine enhancement was selected for funding. Also involves INTA and University of Colorado (USA).
• Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FFyB-UBA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Prof. Dra. Silvia Camperi (FFyB-UBA) on development of an IGRA-based immunodiagnostic platform for tuberculosis detection, funded through PREINC-UBA 2025.
• IQUIFIB (Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológicas)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCora Álvarez from IQUIFIB joined INBIRS researchers Paula Pérez and Matías Ostrowski as the only Argentine representatives at ISEV Annual Meeting 2026.
• INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerINTA researchers participate in Dra. Luciana Balboa's Red VALIDATE-funded project on BCG vaccine enhancement.
• Universidad de Colorado (EE.UU.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS collaborators in Dra. Luciana Balboa's Red VALIDATE-funded tuberculosis vaccine research project.
• Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología (SAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINBIRS researchers actively participate in SAI annual meetings, hold committee positions, and receive SAI awards (Premio Trayectoria, Premio Dr. Leonardo Satz 2025, Premio Clínico, Best Poster awards).
• Sociedad Argentina de Infectología (SADI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINBIRS actively participates in SADI congresses and the joint SADI/API (Asociación Panamericana de Infectología) meetings, presenting research findings.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ARUP Laboratories: US non-profit clinical reference laboratory affiliated with the University of Utah, performing infectious disease and immunology testing at national scale. Comparable to INBIRS as a non-profit academic medical center-affiliated clinical laboratory, though operating at much larger scale and broader geography.
• Cepheid (Danaher): Molecular diagnostics company with the GeneXpert platform widely used for infectious disease testing (HIV, TB, SARS-CoV-2). Comparable as a broad incumbent whose installed base overlaps with INBIRS's infectious disease diagnostic testing menu, though as an instrument/reagent vendor rather than a service provider.
• bioMérieux: Global leader in in vitro microbiology diagnostics, including culture-based ID/AST and molecular infectious disease testing — the same diagnostic categories INBIRS performs. Comparable as a broad incumbent in microbiology/infectious disease laboratory diagnostics, though bioMérieux operates as a commercial manufacturer rather than a service laboratory.
• Hologic: Diagnostics company with a strong molecular infectious disease testing franchise (e.g., Panther system used for HIV viral load, SARS-CoV-2). Comparable as a broad incumbent in molecular infectious disease diagnostics whose products compete with the assay categories INBIRS performs.

Direct peers

• Mérieux Foundation: French non-profit foundation focused on infectious disease diagnostics and public-health laboratory capacity in LMICs. Comparable to INBIRS as a non-profit infectious-disease research and diagnostics platform with international scope and public-health mandate.
• Fundación Huésped: Argentine non-profit organization dedicated to HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and clinical care, operating from Buenos Aires. Highly comparable as a Buenos Aires-based HIV/AIDS research and public-health institution serving overlapping patient populations and research themes.
• Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND): Geneva-based non-profit accelerating development and delivery of diagnostics for infectious diseases, particularly in LMICs. Comparable as a mission-aligned infectious-disease diagnostics organization pursuing global-health outcomes through laboratory capacity building.
• Fundación Instituto Leloir: Argentine non-profit biomedical research foundation in Buenos Aires and a confirmed strategic co-development partner of INBIRS on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and immune-response studies. Highly comparable as a peer biomedical research institute in Argentina with similar public-affiliation structure and overlapping immunology/virology portfolio.
• Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard: US-based immunology research institute focused on HIV cure and infectious disease, and INBIRS's collaborator on the landmark Esperanza Patient Annals of Internal Medicine publication. Comparable as a translational immunology research institute working on HIV cure mechanisms and immune responses.

Regional players

• Hospital de Enfermedades Infecciosas Francisco Muñiz: Argentina's primary infectious disease reference hospital in Buenos Aires and a confirmed INBIRS clinical research partner. Comparable as a co-located infectious disease institution sharing patient cohorts and collaborative research projects (e.g., COVID-19 platelet studies).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/inbirsar
• Facebookfacebook.com/inbirsar
• Instagraminstagram.com/inbirsar

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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