The Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory of Rio Branco (Brazil) is the first biosafety level 3 (BSL3) laboratory to be built in the Amazon region. It is directed by Daniel da Matta. It was founded at the same time as the Charles Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease, marking a key step in the fight against viral hepatitis – a major public health concern affecting thousands of patients in Amazonia.