Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB)

The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), founded in 2000 in Bellinzona, has been affiliated to USI in 2010. Financed by private and public institutions, and by competitive grants, the IRB currently hosts twelve research groups and employs around 115 researchers from all over the world. Research focuses on the human host defence against infections, tumours and degenerative diseases. With more than 540 publications in leading scientific journals, the IRB has gained an international reputation as a centre of excellence in immunology and cell biology. The IRB is also a post-graduate educational centre: so far 75 IRB students have completed their PhD thesis.