FUNDACION PARA LA INVESTIGACION DE MALAGA EN BIOMEDICINA Y SALUD

Their core work

FIMABIS is a biomedical research foundation based in Malaga, Spain, focused on immunology, allergy diagnostics, and precision medicine. Their work spans immune-mediated diseases — from autoimmune conditions and inflammatory disorders to drug allergy, with a strong emphasis on translating laboratory findings into clinical diagnostic tools. They develop and validate new assay technologies (including nanotechnology-based approaches) for diagnosing conditions like betalactam allergy, and contribute to large-scale efforts mapping disease trajectories in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases using single-cell and integrative genomics data.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

FIMABIS's early H2020 work (2018-2020) centered on fundamental immunology research — endocannabinoid signaling in immune destruction (DIRECtA) and omics-based cancer immunotherapy (IMMUNOMARK), both funded through individual Marie Curie fellowships. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward applied clinical diagnostics and disease stratification, joining the large 3TR consortium on treatment response in autoimmune diseases and coordinating ASSERT to develop a validated nanotechnology-based allergy diagnostic. This trajectory shows a clear movement from basic immune research toward translational medicine with direct clinical applications.

FIMABIS is moving from fundamental immune research toward validated clinical diagnostic tools and precision medicine, making them an increasingly relevant partner for projects requiring clinical validation endpoints.

How they like to work

FIMABIS predominantly leads its own projects — 3 of 4 H2020 projects as coordinator, primarily through Marie Curie individual fellowships that fund visiting researchers. Their single third-party role in 3TR (a major RIA with 86 consortium partners across 16 countries) shows they can also contribute specialized expertise within large international consortia. This pattern suggests an organization that attracts talented researchers through fellowships while selectively joining large efforts where their clinical immunology expertise adds specific value.

Through the 3TR consortium alone, FIMABIS connects to 86 unique partners across 16 countries, giving them a broad European network despite their relatively small project portfolio. Their direct coordination experience is with smaller fellowship-scale projects, so their wide network is largely inherited from one large consortium participation.

What sets them apart

FIMABIS sits at the intersection of clinical immunology and diagnostic technology development, specifically in drug allergy — a niche where few research foundations combine both the immunological depth and the assay validation capability. Their location in Malaga gives them access to a large patient population through the affiliated hospital system, which is critical for clinical validation studies. For consortium builders, they offer a rare combination: a research center that can both generate fundamental immune insights and run clinical diagnostic validation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ASSERT
  Their largest funded project (EUR 259K), coordinating the development of a nanotechnology-based diagnostic for betalactam allergy — a direct path from lab to clinical application.
• 3TR
  Participation in one of the largest H2020 health consortia (running until 2026), connecting FIMABIS to 86 partners working on treatment response in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
• DIRECtA
  Explored the endocannabinoid system's role in immune destruction of pancreatic islets — an unusual and specific angle on autoimmune diabetes.