U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6) is the U.S. Navy’s first stand-alone research facility in South America, and is one of six overseas research laboratories operated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

NAMRU-6 was initially established in Lima, Peru in 1983, as the Naval Medical Research Institute Detachment (NAMRID) to investigate infectious diseases Today, NAMRU-6 research activates focus on applied research to evaluate and test new vaccines, prevention strategies, treatment modalities, diagnostics, and novel insect control measures. Additional efforts have concentrated on disease detection, epidemiologic descriptions, and assistance to regional partners in developing surveillance systems, with a strong focus on viral pathogens, especially influenza, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus. NAMRU-6 conducts research through the coordination of six different departments; bacteriology; entomology, parasitology, virology and emerging infections, as well biomedical informatics.