Instituto Butantan

Brazilian biomedical research institute and vaccine producer in the west of São Paulo, founded in 1901 to make antivenom against snake bite and now attached to the São Paulo state health department. Produces vaccines including influenza, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, hepatitis B and rabies together with antivenoms and other hyperimmune serums for the national immunisation programme, carries out research in toxinology, immunology, virology and biotechnology, holds one of the largest venomous animal collections in the world and runs a biological museum and training programmes.