Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units: A Historical Perspective

On 27 February 1962, Surgeon General Luther Terry announced a new vaccine development program within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Initially, the plan had three components: (1) special laboratories and facilities for development of prototype vaccines; (2) pilot lot production facilities and preliminary vaccine trial sites; and (3) larger lot production capacity and expanded human testing. Respiratory viruses were targeted as the top priority for vaccine development. Over 5 decades, this program has evolved and expanded to include multiple academic vaccine evaluation sites within the network, now labeled as the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs). The network has evaluated many different vaccines, with many shown to be safe, effective, and licensed for recommended use. This manuscript offers a historical perspective, crafted by early investigators from currently funded VTEUs, to showcase how some of the original VTEUs-both individually and collectively-advanced vaccine science and shaped the strategies and achievements that continue to impact public health today.