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Biologics Regulation and ResearchThe People and Work of Buildings 29 & 29A

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Buildings 29 and 29A are nationally significant to the history of medicine and public health because within the laboratories of Buildings 29 and 29A, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and then the Food and Drug Administration (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 mission, they did scientific research which resulted in the development of important standards and even new vaccines. Some of the most well-known scientists of the 20th century worked in these buildings, as well as the key administrators and others who supported their work and the mission of biologics regulation and 22 of them are profiled here in the biographies section. This online exhibition will share information about the research, regulations, and work conducted in these two laboratory buildings between 1960 and 2014. A variety of diseases, vaccines, and other biologics are discussed here, with links to articles and other websites for further research. While the buildings are no longer in use, the legacy of their legendary exemplary staff and their important work lives onendures.

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Bronze plaque installed in the entryway of Building 29

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Dave Derenick

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In 1906, the Federal Food and Drugs Act made illegal adulterated and misbranded foods and drugs, although it did not specifically mention biological drugs. Unlike the 1902 Biologics Control Act, which passed easily in Congress, the 1906 Act sparked serious debate for decades. The 1906 Act had some shortcomings, which led to the passage of the Sherley Amendment in 1912 which prohibited labeling medicines with false therapeutic claims intended to defraud the purchaser.

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The FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) moved from the NIH to the FDA White Oak Campus in 2014. This move completely vacated Buildings 29, 29A, and the circa-1994 Building 29B. Building 29B has been reoccupied by NIH staff, following moderate renovation. NIH completed feasibility studies and determined in 2020 that it is not viable to reuse Buildings 29 and 29A, and demolition is planned. As these are historic buildings on Federal property, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its implementing regulations (36 CFR §800) must be followed. A As part of the Section 106 process, consultation with various parties, including local government, historical societies, and the public place before a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was entered into between the NIH and the State Historic Preservation Office, the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), since demolition of buildings is an adverse effect to historic properties. This online exhibition and the aforementioned HABS architectural documentation are the result of that agreement. While Buildings 29 and 29A are no longer in use, the legacy of their legendary exemplary staff and their important work lives onendures.


Info

Buildings 29/29A Site Map

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