The DeWitt Stetten Jr. Museum of Medical Research preserves and interprets the material culture of the scientific work of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The museum is hosting this online exhibit, on Buildings 29 and 29A and the biologics research and regulation conducted there, bringing the materials to life to inform the public of the breadth and significance of research performed in the two buildings, conquering some of the world’s most deadly infectious diseases in the twentieth century. The Office of NIH History & Stetten Museum worked closely with the NIH Office of Research Facilities and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) History Office to document the two buildings for posterity.

Buildings 29 and 29A are nationally significant to the history of medicine and public health because within these laboratories, the NIH and then FDA staff helped to conquer some of the deadliest infectious diseases. In their regulatory role they had the national responsibility to license vaccines, antitoxins, blood products, and other biologics to ensure their safety and effectiveness. To support this role, they did scientific research which resulted in the development of important standards and even new vaccines. Some of the most well-known scientists and administrators of the twentieth century worked in these buildings, first for the NIH and then for the FDA.