San Diego Biomedical Research Institute
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
The SDBRI mission is to find new ways to predict and prevent cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease, neurological disorders and HIV infection, and to accelerate medical advances that maintain health and improve quality of life.
- Income
- $8.9 million
- Spending
- $9.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 93%
- Reserves
- -4.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 98%
- Employees
- 42
- Highest pay
- $264,501, professor
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 38 out of 100. Higher than 6% of charities in its peer group (diseases, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 124% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 17% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1593% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 61% of charities in its peer group (diseases, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 256 of 7 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (7)
- $2.2 million spent. HIV-associated neurological disease: Currently, more than half of HIV patients have HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). Although drugs to control HIV infection have been instrumental in preventing progression to AIDS, they do not protect from HAND, which is now on the rise as this patient population is aging. SDBRI scientists working on HAND have discovered a biological process that we believe is involved in accelerating the aging process in people with HIV, increasing their risk of dementia. SDBRI scientists are now focused on designing and testing strategies to stop that biological process for the purpose of preventing the onset of dementia. In addition, drug abuse, particularly methamphetamine, increases the number of cells that HIV likes to infect in the central nervous system, increasing the HIV reservoir and aggravating inflammation. SDBRI research is focused on how methamphetamine encourages cells in the brain to attract and provide a home for HIV infection. This information will then be used to design therapies to stop HIV from infecting cells in the brain. A Senior Staff Scientist from France and a Staff Scientist. From Malaysia received salary and benefits while being trained at SDBRI in a variety of cellular immunology and sterile techniques to better understand the effect of methamphetamine on HIV infection in experimental models.
- $1.6 million spent. Multiple Sclerosis:Multiple Sclerosis is a debilitating autoimmune disease in which immune cells travel to the brain and spinal cord and destroy the protective coating that surrounds nerve fibers. Without the protective coating nerves are unable to send messages to different parts of the body and this causes an array of disorders including numbness in hands and feet, muscle weakness, fatigue, and blurred vision. It is estimated that there are 2.3 million people with MS worldwide. The goal of our cutting-edge research at SDBRI is to identify ways to manipulate and strengthen blood vessels so that the cells that cause multiple sclerosis (MS) are unable to enter the brain. In particular we seek to understand how the integrity of blood vessels in the brain is regulated by: (i) proteins of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that surround cells, and (ii) environmental stimuli such as mild hypoxia. By understanding these mechanisms, we can design new therapeutic approaches aimed at increasing blood supply and reducing vascular leak, thereby making blood vessels better equipped to protect against neurological damage. A Staff Scientist from Bangladesh and a Postdoctoral Fellow from Nepal received salary & benefits while being trained at SDBRI in cellular, molecular and biochemical techniques to learn how blood vessels can be strengthened and repaired and how we can use that information to stop and reverse MS.
- $1.4 million spent. Cancer:A major question in cancer treatment remains, why do some people respond to treatment and others dont. Finding new ways to detect and treat cancer could potentially lead to cures that are currently unavailable to the majority of patients. At SDBRI scientists are developing a new technology to identify previously unidentifiable cancer-specific targets that might be used to design novel cancer fighting drugs. A Postdoctoral Fellow from Japan received salary and benefits while being trained at SDBRI in a variety of cellular immunology and sterile techniques to better understand techniques to help diagnose and treat cancer.DNA replication and disease DNA replicates in a highly organized way in healthy cells. However, in unhealthy cells, DNA replication is mis-regulated. SDBRI scientists are working to understand how DNA replication is mis-regulated in human disease in the hopes of finding new therapeutic approaches to preventing and reversing diseases such as cancer.Cells in our bodies eat internal parts of themselves to maintain their own health. This process, known as autophagy (spokeno-to-foh-jee), is essential for removing toxic material that causes diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer. In autophagy, components inside cells are placed in a trash bag called the autophagosome which looks like a balloon. The autophagosome then fuses with the cells incinerator to decompose the transported toxic material. Scientists at SDBRI are working to understand how these complicated events are controlled in the hopes that interventions in these pathways might lead to novel treatments for disease.
- $1.2 million spent. HIV/AIDS: The World Health Organization recently estimated that 36.7 million people live with HIV/AIDS worldwide with 1 million HIV-related deaths every year. New infections are estimated at an alarming 1.8 million worldwide. Developing a successful HIV vaccine is a major global health initiative. Research at SDBRI is focused on introducing novel designs to create an HIV vaccine that more people respond to. The SDBRI strategy of using HIV virus-like particles (VLPs) and mRNA as a vaccine platform is showing great promise. In addition, SDBRI scientists have designed ways to identify factors that help the immune system respond to HIV vaccines. This is very important because it might allow us to enhance the vaccine making it work in more people. SDBRI continues to participate in a multi-organization HIV vaccine research program. Our investigators work with scientists across the U.S. and in several foreign countries, including The Netherlands and Malaysia. A Staff Scientist from Malaysia received salary & benefits while being trained at SDBRI in a variety of cellular, molecular and biochemical techniques to better understand the human response to vaccines.
- $1.1 million spent. Parkinsons Disease:Parkinsons disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects approximately 1% of the population over the age of 60. In the U.S. alone about 50,000 new cases are reported annually. It is believed that PD is caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Scientists at SDBRI are working on the idea that allergic reactions represent an important environmental component in making people more susceptible to the development of PD. If this is true, components of the allergic response might be used as novel therapeutic targets to prevent PD or reduce its progression.
- $637,878 spent. Allergy and Asthma Severe asthma is a rising health problem affecting millions of Americans with no current curative solutions. It is characterized by persistent airway inflammation and corticosteroid resistance. The study conducted at SDBRI aims to understand why some patients do not respond to standard asthma therapeutics, focusing on an immune cell type discovered by SDBRI investigators. These studies will teach us how pathogenic cells are generated in asthma and how these pathogenic cells interact with other immune cells subsets to curtail allergic airway inflammation and asthma. Findings could establish improved predictors for patient stratification, leading to more targeted therapies for asthma patients.
- $613,151 spent. SYSTEMATIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE):SLE is caused by the immune system as it attacks the bodys tissue. Although there is a clear genetic predisposition to SLE, environmental factors also contribute to disease development. Ongoing work at SDBRI is focused on how genetic factors combine with virus infection and silica inhalation to cause SLE. It is hoped that understanding how the combination of these elements contribute to the development of SLE will provide information that can be used to develop therapies that block these interactions and the resulting disease.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 2014.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.