From the Minds at NASA to the Hands of Microbiologists: The Origins of VITEK® 2
By the bioMérieux Editors | Reading time: ~3 min
PUBLICATION DATE: September 10, 2026
Space: A New Frontier for Humans…and Microbes
The story of VITEK® 2 traces back to the Space Race of the 1960s. Beyond figuring out how to put a human on the moon, NASA researchers were interested in how microorganisms behaved in zero gravity. Specifically, they wanted to find ways to detect and understand microbial growth so that the astronauts could track biological changes in space. Little did they know that this need for dependable, timely information would turn into a cornerstone of modern clinical diagnostics.
The Birth of Microbial ID Automation
NASA contractor McDonnell Douglas partnered with the space agency to develop methods of detecting bacterial contamination and monitor microbial growth. It wasn’t long before the company realized that this microbial identification (ID) technology had serious potential to improve the capabilities of microbiology labs.
The transition from aerospace research to healthcare culminated in the formation of Vitek Systems, Inc., with the goal of adapting the automated ID technology to help laboratories analyze clinical specimens more efficiently and consistently.
By the late 1970s, Vitek Systems, Inc. created the AutoMicrobic System, an automated platform designed to detect and identify disease-producing microorganisms. Instead of relying only on manual methods, the system exposed specimens to microbial nutrients, monitored growth during incubation, and used optical scanning with computer analysis to interpret changes.
Automation changed how quickly and consistently critical organism information could be generated, marking an important step forward in microbiology.
Interior of the AutoMicrobic System by Vitek Systems, Inc.
Exterior of the AutoMicrobic System by Vitek Systems, Inc.
VITEK Technology Today
Over the following decades, the technology continued to evolve into the VITEK platforms that laboratories around the world rely on. With each generation, the technology has found new ways of advancing microbiology processes around ID and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Today, VITEK 2 helps laboratories reduce manual steps, standardize workflows, and deliver results that may support more informed therapy decisions.
The technology that makes this happen—automated processes, miniaturized cards, an expanded identification database, and advanced resistance mechanism detection—is all thanks to scientific minds that dared to think bigger. From its earliest roots in aerospace research to its role in the hospital lab today, VITEK 2 is a reminder that innovation can begin in unexpected places and still make its greatest impact at the patient’s side.
This drive toward innovation has shaped bioMérieux’s own legacy and remains the foundation to every system, service, and reagent we develop.
