International Society on Toxinology

What International Society on Toxinology does

The International Society on Toxinology (IST) is a nonprofit professional membership society founded in 1962 by scientists and clinicians to advance the science of toxinology — the study of toxins from animals, plants, and microorganisms. It serves academic and clinical researchers, pharmaceutical scientists, clinicians, biological taxonomists, and students across more than four global regions. The society's core offerings are the Toxicon journal (published by Elsevier since 1963), biennial World Congresses, and four regional section networks (European, Pan-American, Asia-Pacific, and Africa & Middle East, the last founded in 2019), supplemented by honors such as the Redi Award (established 1967), the Early Career Researcher Committee, and the Clinical Toxinology Short Course. IST does not develop proprietary technology products; its value proposition rests on community, peer-reviewed content, and convening power rather than technology platforms.

IST operates as a member-run nonprofit governed by an elected Board and Council with electronic voting at World Congresses. Its revenue is derived entirely from membership dues ($15–$55 annually, $30 regional 3-year, $550 lifetime), donations, and sponsorship of congresses. The society markets primarily through its website (toxinology.org), the Asia-Pacific Webinar Series, regional meetings, and the Toxicon journal via Elsevier's ScienceDirect platform. Key strategic assets include its long-running Elsevier publishing partnership (since 1963), the Global Snakebite Initiative (endorsed 2009), and the achievement of WHO Neglected Tropical Disease status for snakebite in 2017 following sustained advocacy by IST members.

Name

International Society on Toxinology

Legal name

The International Society on Toxinology

Website

https://toxinology.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Society on Toxinology is a nonprofit professional membership society founded in 1962 that advances toxinology research, education, and advocacy for researchers, clinicians, and pharmaceutical scientists globally through its Toxicon journal, biennial World Congresses, and four regional sections.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Society Membership

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Toxicology & Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Laboratories (HLAFAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Professional scientific society
• Toxinology research
• Scientific membership
• Academic publishing
• Scientific conferences

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from full members ($55/year), student members ($15/year), associate members ($55/year), and Africa & Middle East Section members ($30 for 3-year membership). Lifetime membership available for $550 one-time fee.
2. Donations: The society accepts donations to support its objectives. Annual membership dues and donations, including sponsorship of congresses, are the only source of income for the IST and are used to support Society activities, especially IST congresses.
3. Congress Registration Fees: Revenue generated from registration fees for World Congresses and regional section meetings. Presentations at congresses are reserved for IST members, with joining the IST being economically advantageous compared to non-member registration fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The International Society on Toxinology is a professional membership society that advances the science of toxinology through the Toxicon peer-reviewed journal (published by Elsevier), biennial World Congresses, regional section meetings across four geographic regions, and tiered membership programs. Its core deliverables are journal access, conference programming, scientific honors (Redi Award, Master of Toxinology), and professional networking for researchers, clinicians, and students working on venomous organisms, plant and microbial toxins, antivenoms, and toxin-based drug discovery.

Product overview

The International Society on Toxinology (IST) is a professional membership society founded in 1962, not a commercial product company. The IST's primary offerings include the Toxicon journal (published by Elsevier), biennial World Congress meetings, and regional section meetings across four geographic areas (Europe, Pan-America, Asia-Pacific, Africa & Middle East). The society provides membership programs offering journal access, voting rights, and networking, alongside honors including the Redi Award and Master of Toxinology distinction. Additional offerings include the Early Career Researcher Committee with travel grants and the Clinical Toxinology Short Course training program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Toxicon: The official journal of the International Society on Toxinology, published by Elsevier. It publishes peer-reviewed manuscripts presenting novel findings in toxinology research.
• IST Redi Award
• IST World Congress

Products and services

• IST Membership Tiered professional membership program for individual researchers, clinicians, and students in toxinology, providing access to Toxicon journal online via Elsevier, discounted print subscriptions, full voting rights, discounted congress registration, and professional networking across four regional sections.
• Toxicon Journal Peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing original research on toxins from animals, plants, and microorganisms, including chemical, pharmacological, toxicological, and immunological properties of natural toxins. Published by Elsevier and hosted on ScienceDirect, available to IST members at discounted rates and to institutional subscribers.
• IST World Congress Premier biennial scientific meeting of the IST bringing together members and experts worldwide to present research findings and advance toxinology. Presentations at congresses are reserved for IST members. The next congress is scheduled for September 2026 in Manaus, Brazil.
• Regional Section Meetings

Quantifiable outcome

• Global Snakebite Initiative achieved WHO Neglected Tropical Disease status for snakebite in 2017
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Global Snakebite Initiative (GSI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009The Global Snakebite Initiative was endorsed as an official initiative of the IST in 2009, proposed by Prof. David Warrell and seconded by Prof. P. Gopalakrishnakone. The GSI works globally to address snakebite issues. While now operating as a separate entity for logistical reasons, the IST and its members continue to support GSI's goals. A major achievement was elevating snakebite to WHO's Neglected Tropical Diseases list in 2017.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009IST members played a pivotal role in achieving the elevation of snakebite to WHO's Neglected Tropical Diseases list in 2017, followed by a 2018 World Health Assembly resolution designating snakebite as a top-priority NTD.
• ElseviercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1963Elsevier has been the publisher of Toxicon, the official journal of the IST, since 1963. The partnership provides members with access to Toxicon online via ScienceDirect. Society access to the journal on ScienceDirect is available from articles published from 1995 onwards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT): U.S.-based professional society for clinical toxicology practitioners. Comparable as a membership society focused on clinical management of poisonings and envenomings, organizing scientific meetings and education in the same clinical-toxinology space IST addresses.
• Society of Toxicology (SOT): Large U.S.-based scientific society serving the broader toxicology community. Most direct peer: both are member-driven scientific societies running journals, annual/biennial meetings, awards, and special-interest sections spanning academia, industry, and clinical practice in toxin-related sciences.
• International Union of Toxicology (IUTOX): Global umbrella body for national toxicology societies, organized under ICSU. Comparable as an international scientific society in toxicology with member societies, congresses, and efforts to advance toxicology as a discipline, though its scope is broader than IST's toxinology focus.
• European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT): European scientific association of poisons centres and clinical toxicologists. Comparable as a regional scientific society covering clinical toxicology, including envenoming, with annual congresses and a journal — overlapping IST's clinical-toxinology mission in Europe.
• Asia Pacific Association of Medical Toxicology (APAMT): Regional medical toxicology society covering Asia Pacific. Comparable as a scientific society with congresses and membership programs in the same region as IST's Asia-Pacific Section, serving clinical toxicologists and poison information specialists with overlapping mission around envenoming.

Others

• World Allergy Organization (WAO): Global scientific umbrella for allergy and clinical immunology societies. Adjacent rather than directly competing — overlaps with IST where envenoming triggers immune/allergic responses, and both organize global congresses connecting research clinicians.

Emerging players

• International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX): Scientific society for researchers studying xenobiotic metabolism and disposition. Comparable in form — membership society with journals and meetings focused on how foreign compounds act in biological systems — but its drug-metabolism focus is adjacent to rather than overlapping IST's natural-toxin remit.

Broad incumbents

• Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC): Larger scientific society covering environmental toxicology and chemistry globally. Comparable as a member-driven society with journals (e.g., Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) and global congresses, but focused on environmental/ecological toxicology rather than venom and natural toxins.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-society-on-toxinology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Society on Toxinology