The Entomology Laboratory (LABE) of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/Fiocruz) conducts scientific research on various taxonomic groups of insects, training human resources in entomology and scientific extension and dissemination actions. His main lines of research address the order Hemiptera (kissing bugs, bedbugs, cicadas, leafhoppers), a megadiverse group of insects of ecological, economic and health importance. Studies are also being carried out on the orders Lepidoptera (butterflies, moths), Coleoptera (beetles) and Phasmida (stick insects).
National and international academic partnerships are maintained with institutions such as the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, the Federal University of Paraná, the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia, the Institute of Functional Genomics of Lyon and the National Museum of Natural History of the United States. Laboratory members also act as consultants for funding agencies and editors or reviewers of scientific journals, such as Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, Parasites & Vectors and Check List.
The Laboratory is also responsible for maintaining and curating the Entomological Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (ECIOC/IOC). The Collection, started in 1901, is the oldest collection of Fiocruz and one of the most important biological collections in Latin America. Currently, the ECIOC contributes to research and education activities, as well as scientific dissemination and popularization of science through the exhibition open to the public at Sala Costa Lima, a partnership with Museu da Vida/Casa de Oswaldo Cruz.
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