Instituto Butantan 1372732 224156534 2008-07-07T16:02:46Z BOTarate 5870361 robot Modifying: [[pt:Instituto Butantã]] [[Image:Instituto Butantan01.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Instituto Butantan]] '''Instituto Butantan''' is a [[Brazil]]ian biomedical research center affiliated to the [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]] State Secretary of [[Health]]. It is located near the [[campus]] of the [[University of São Paulo]], in the city of [[São Paulo (city)|the same name]]. The Institute was founded by the Brazilian [[physician]] and biomedical scientist [[Vital Brazil]] in 1901, according to [[Pasteur Institute]] paradigm, i.e., by combining in the same institution [[medical research]], the transfer of the results to society as health products, and self-financing through this later activity. It is internationally renowned for its research on [[venom (poison)|venomous]] animals. It maintains one of largest collections of serpents in the world, comprising ca. 54,000 specimens, and it is also a state-supported producer of [[vaccine]]s against many [[infectious diseases]], such as [[rabies]], [[hepatitis]], [[botulism]], [[tetanus]], [[diphtheria]], [[pertussis]] and [[tuberculosis]], as well as polyvalent and monovalent [[antivenom]]s against the bites of [[snakes]], [[lizards]], [[bees]], [[scorpion]]s and [[spider]]s (which, historically were first developed in the beginning of the 20th century by Dr. Vital Brazil and his coworkers). ==Education and research== [[Image:Instituto butantan ciete silverio.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Laboratory of Influenza of the institute]] The Institute develops basic and applied biomedical research in many areas, including [[molecular biology]], [[immunology]] and [[epidemiology]] and has a graduate research training program in collaboration with other institutions, in the areas of biotechnology and [[infectology]]. Besides its research laboratories, production units and specialized library, it operates a specialized hospital, the '''Hospital Vital Brazil''', and an animal breeding center for providing subjects for research and production of sera. It also accepts donations of serpents, arthropods and other animals captured by the public and by a network of collaborating centers and individuals. The following research laboratories are part of the Butantan Institute: * [[Arthropod]]s * [[Herpetology]] * [[Cellular biology]] * [[Immunogenetics]] * [[Immunopathology]] * [[Virus|Viral]] [[Immunology]] * [[Immunochemistry]] * [[Genetics]] * [[Dermatology]] * [[Pathophysiology]] * [[Biochemistry]] and [[Biophysics]] * [[Pharmacology]] * [[Microbiology]] * [[Parasitology]] * [[Biopharmaceutical]]s * Applied [[Toxinology]] * [[Biotechnology]] Center Important Brazilian scientists who have worked in the Butantan Institute are: [[Vital Brazil]], [[Isaias Raw]], [[Samuel Pessoa]], [[Willy Beçak]]. The Institute has strong collaborative ties with the [[Pasteur Institute]], [[Paris]], [[France]], and with the [[Oswaldo Cruz Foundation]], [[Rio de Janeiro]]. ==Production== The Butantan Institute is the largest producer in [[Latin America]] (and one of the largest in the world) of immunobiologicals and biopharmaceuticals. In 2001 it produced ca. 11O million doses of vaccines and 300 thousand vials of hyperimmune sera. The production units manufacture the following bioproducts: ===Hyperimmune sera and antivenoms=== * Anti-[[Bothrops|Bothropic]] * Anti-[[Rattlesnake|Crotalic]] * Anti-Bothropic-Crotalic * Anti-[[Elapidae|Elapidic]] * Anti-Bothropic-[[Bushmaster (snake)|Lachetic]] * Anti-[[Scorpion|Escorpionic]] * Anti-[[Spiders|Arachnidic]] * Anti-[[Lonomia]] * Anti-Africanized [[Bee]] * Anti-[[Diphtheria|Diphtheric]] * Anti-[[Tetanus|Tetanic]] * Anti-[[Botulism|Botulinic]] A, B, E * Anti-[[Rabies]] * Anti-Human [[Thymocyte]]s ===Vaccines=== * Tetanus [[Toxoid]] * [[Diphtheria-tetanus vaccine]] (Pediatric and adult) * [[DPT vaccine|Triple vaccine]]: Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis * Recombinant [[Hepatitis B]] * [[Bacillus Calmette-Guérin|BCG]] (intradermic) * [[Rabies]] ([[Vero Cell culture]]) ===Biopharmaceuticals=== * [[Botulin toxin]] * BCG (intravesical) * [[Monoclonal antibody]]: Anti-CD3 * [[Erythropoietin]] * [[Pulmonary surfactant]] ==Public activities== The Butantan Institute is one of the major touristic and educational attractions in the city of São Paulo. It has a well visited [[serpentarium]] (snake pit), a historical museum, a biological museum, and a museum of microbiology. It is located in a vast park area in the city section of Butantan. ==Butantan Foundation== The '''Fundação Butantan''' is a non-profit corporation established in 1984 to use more efficiently public funds and capital investments made by the Ministry of Health for the production of immunobiologicals. The Foundation reinvests part of the proceeds to built new facilities for new products. Part of the funds are used in the Institute for research and cultural activities, as well as to provide its workers with meals and basic food supplies. ==See also== * [[Herpetology]] * [[Antivenom]] * [[Vaccine]] * [[Biotechnology]] * [[Vital Brazil]] * [[Science and Technology in Brazil]] ==External links== * [http://www.butantan.gov.br Butantan Institute Home Page] (in Portuguese and English) * [http://www.butantan.gov.br/english/peconha2.htm How to capture and donate animals to the Institute] (in English) [[Category:Scientific institutions]] [[Category:Research institutes in Brazil]] [[Category:Health in Brazil]] [[Category:Museums in São Paulo (city)]] [[es:Instituto Butantan]] [[he:מכון בוטאנטאן]] [[pl:Instytut Butantan]] [[pt:Instituto Butantã]]