Over 32 years ago, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI) was founded as an independent non-profit organization devoted to the research of global infectious disease.  SBRI holds true to those roots today.  We've grown to include more than 250 staff members, who continue the fight against killers such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, as well as the equally deadly, if lesser known, diseases such as Chagas disease and African sleeping sickness.

In 1976, founders Ruth W. Shearer, Ph.D., and Kenneth D. Stuart, Ph.D., set up a research laboratory in Issaquah, WA.  Originally called the Issaquah Group for Health and Environmental Research, the name was soon changed to Issaquah Biomedical Research Institute.  Scientists at the Institute studied parasites, such as the ones that cause malaria and African sleeping sickness, and their efforts soon gained recognition around the world.

Institute Continues Growth
Dr. Stuart was invited to advise the World Health Organization about future research into tropical diseases in 1980, marking the Institute's rise into international significance.  The first post-doctoral scientists joined the Institute in 1982, and one of these - Peter Myler, Ph.D. - is currently a principal investigator at SBRI.  In 1986, the Institute relocated to Seattle to enhance its scientific programs and became Seattle Biomedical Research Institute.  Research benefited from new ties with the University of Washington and local biotechnology companies, while international projects expanded to India, Germany, France and beyond.

By the early 1990s, SBRI had grown to nearly 60 employees.  The Institute was recognized by the National Institutes of Health for its contributions to parasitology and selected as a cooperating Parasitology Group to help set research priorities.  SBRI formalized a long-standing affiliation with the University of Washington in 1992, which strengthened teaching and training programs.

By 1993, all principal investigators at SBRI were appointed as faculty members in the Pathobiology Department at the UW School of Public Health and Community Medicine.  At the end of the decade, SBRI had more than 80 full-time employees, and research revenue had increased from $2.7 million in 1991 to more than $8 million in 2001.  SBRI received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to establish its Malaria Program in 2001.

Center for Research and Training
Today, SBRI is an internationally recognized center for research and training excellence with connections from Seattle to its field lab in Tanzania, as well as a number of other locations around the world.  

Dedicated to the research of infectious diseases of global importance, SBRI continues under the leadership of Dr. Stuart, who serves as president of the Institute.  From 1976 to now, staff size has grown from five to over 250, made possible by SBRI's move into a new, state-of-the-art research facility in South Lake Union's growing biotech hub in 2004. Over the years, our scientists have completed more than 400 research projects, resulting in breakthrough discoveries, and our current budget is nearly $40 million.  Our mission remains steadfast: to eliminate the world's most devastating infectious diseases through leadership in scientific discovery.

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SBRI is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. info@sbri.org