The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is a self-regulating entity that was established by ILRI for purposes of overseeing and evaluating all aspects of ILRI’s animal care and use program. It requires that all principal investigators who use vertebrate animals in their research

(including those whose research consists of field work involving animals) are responsible for conforming to the regulations and policies governing animal use.

The committee ensures that international standards for animal care and use are followed in ILRI projects and collaborative research and training activities involving use of animals. Thus, the committee requires that researchers adequately consider the 3R's (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) relating to the desirable goals for the use of animals in experiments.

IACUC also conducts Program Review and Animal Facilities inspection to ensure humane care and use of animals. This inspection and program review is conducted semi-annually and the committee reviews the institution's program for humane care and use of animals and inspects all ILRI animal facilities at least once every 6 months.

The committee holds both physical and virtual meetings with a requirement to have at least four physical meetings in a year. Virtual meetings are held to review applications for the proposed research projects.

Application and Approval Process

According to the ILRI Research Compliance Policy, any research or instructional use of animals requires review and approval by the animal care and use committee. The protocol must be fully approved before an animal user may acquire a house for use animals and a facility for the research.

The protocol form requires a non-technical description of the research, a justification for the use of animals, a description of all procedures to be performed on animals and precautions to be taken to guarantee humane care and treatment. Thorough preparation of protocols facilitates the review process and reduces the chance of delay in initiating projects and in review of applications.

To allow sufficient time for protocol review and verification of approval, applicants should submit protocols to the IACUC no later than six weeks before the project starts. This lead time is required because IACUC meets only once per month to review protocols and protocols frequently require revision before they can be approved.

After an initial screening by EOHS, protocols undergo preliminary review by ILRI’S Biostatitian and the Vetrinarian. This first review ensures that the proposal is complete and that housing, source of animals, drugs and their doses, and animal use procedures conform with applicable standards and comply with requirements of the applicable regulations and ILRI guidelines and policies. Following this preliminary review, IACUC will contact the applicant by letter or phone if clarifications or revisions are necessary. The protocol is then distributed to all IACUC members for review. The Committee may approve, give provisional approval subject to minor changes or defer a vote until more information is provided, or disapprove the protocol.

To apply for IACUC approval, please click here.

Training

In order to meet statutory requirements while also serving the broad educational objectives, IACUC institutes a training program for all those who wish to use animals in research. All principal investigators who conduct animal research in their laboratories are provided with a copy of ILRI IACUC SOP Manual which they review and sign a statement acknowledging responsibility for being familiar with applicable rules and institutional policies. Principal investigators, research personnel and staff who have contact with live animals for the purpose of research also participate in Species-Specific Training Programs prior to initiating contact with animals.

Animal users employing specialized procedures (e.g., surgery, implantations, etc.) may be required to demonstrate proficiency in these procedures by means of an individualized review conducted by principal investigator or by a person approved by the principal investigator. In some cases, specialized training arranged by the principal investigator may also be required.

Policies and Manuals

ILRI IACUC SOP manual serves as a resource and guide on animal care and use to all personnel working with animals in ILRI. The manual includes all the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that are currently in use at ILRI. They are significant in number and have been broken down into the 12+ species worked with at different ILRI locations. Please refer to the manual for further information.

• < Prev