La Jolla Bioengineering Institute was established in 2001 for the purpose of providing a more focused research environment for outstanding investigators and specializes in research on diseases whose origin and treatment are rooted in cell membrane mechanics. Such diseases include arteriosclerosis, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s. Related research thrusts are the development of blood substitutes, microcirculatory physiology, nitric oxide biology and malarial pathogenesis.

The Institute is a California not-for-profit public benefit corporation and operates as a 501(c)3 charitable organization. It occupies approximately 10,500 square feet of laboratory and office space. The Institute has a Federal Welfare Assurance, an Animal Welfare Assurance, and an Institutional Review Board. The Institute’s activities are overseen by a Board of Trustees. LJBI is BIOCOM and a member of the Association of Independent Research Institutes.