Common colds account for a third of all acute respiratory infections and the economic costs are substantial in terms of sick leave.
The volunteers were infected with preparations of cold viruses and typically stayed for ten days.
The CCU was sometimes confused with the Microbiological Research Establishment at nearby Porton Down, a military unit with which it occasionally collaborated but was not officially connected.
Christopher Andrewes and David Tyrrell refined these experiments at Harvard Hospital in Salisbury, England.
[8] Research made by the Common Cold Unit improved our understanding of respiratory viruses, their lifecycle and possible vaccines.