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Contents   Introduction Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Committee Roster and Meeting Schedule Federal Registration Annual Training Workshop, Videos, and Other Guidelines Required IACUC Training Program Review of Proposals Students and Animal Research Training Policy Federal Regulations Useful Websites Loyola Hall Animal Facility Procedures (pdf) IACUC Personnel List

Forms

	Animal Use Protocol Form (pdf) and (MS Word)
	Protocol Status Form (pdf) and (MS Word)
	Protocol Renewal Form (pdf) and (MS Word)
	Student Research Assistant Training Certification Form (pdf) and (MS Word) - Revised 10/08
	Animal Facilities Training Certification Form (MS Word)
	Incident Report - Animal Facilities (pdf) and (MS Word)
	IACUC Daily Log Form (pdf) and (MS Word)
	Quarantined Animal Record (pdf) and (MS Word)
	Training Certification (pdf) and (MS Word)

Annual IACUC Workshop

	2009 IACUC Workshop Video (Windows Media Video)
	IACUC Safety Presentation (MS PowerPoint)

Introduction

The animal facilities and programs of the University of Scranton are operated in conformity with the, the Animal Welfare Act (CFR 1985), the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (1996), 1996 Guide to the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and other applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies.

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is charged with the responsibility to assure that no animals are used unnecessarily for research or instruction and that every effort is made to insure animal well-being and to minimize pain and distress.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Federal Registration

The Unversity of Scranton has filed an Animal Welfare Assurance with the Public Health Service (PHS) Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (Assurance # A3122-01, Expires 06/30/11), and the Biology/Chemistry Animal Facilities are registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) division of Regulatory Enforcement and Animal Care (Registration # 23-R-0133, Expires 8/7/11).
 

The IACUC holds annual animal care training workshops. The IACUC's collection of species-specific guidelines and other general animal care guidelines is housed in the Office of Research Services and is also available on several websites (see Useful Websites).  Additionally, the IACUC keeps training and informational videotapes on permanent reserve at the Weinberg Memorial Library's Media Resources office:

	Some Preferred Techniques for the Laboratory Mouse, CALAS/ACSAL (13 minutes)
	Some Preferred Techniques for the Laboratory Rat, CALAS/ACSAL (24 minutes)
	Some Preferred Techniques for the Laboratory Gerbil and Hamster, CALAS/ACSAL (20 minutes)

Investigators intending to use animal subjects in research or for instructional purposes must submit a written description of the activities, using the IACUC's Animal Use Protocol form as a guideline. All IACUC forms are available on the Office of Research (ORS) Services website.  The Cover Sheet and Protocol Narrative must be submitted electronically as an MS Word e-mail attachment to landism2@scranton.edu AND send one signed copy of the Cover Sheet to the Office of Research Services.  The protocol must be received at least two weeks prior to the expected date of ordering animals. The IACUC meets four times a year and reviews proposals by mail year-round, therefore proposals may be submitted at any time.

Approved animal care and use protocols should be renewed each year. Prior to the expiration date of a protocol, the Office of Research Services will send the faculty investigator a Protocol Renewal Form, which the faculty member should complete and return to ORS by the expiration date.

Students and Animal Research

All students, undergraduate and graduate, must complete a Student Research Assistant Training Certification (Revised 10/08) prior to their involvement in any animal research protocol. This form is available at the Office of Research Services

By signing this form the student certifies that they:

1. have read the animal research protocol
2. have watched the training videos on reserve at the library
3. have completed the required CITI Lab Animal Welfare training (www.citiprogram.org)
4. will not perform animal research without direct supervision until they have been properly trained

Training in Techniques Required for a Protocol

Re: IACUC Protocal Application, 2.6.  Competency in techniques to be used in the protocol.  Are you competent in the techniques involved in this protocol?  If not, how will you acquire the necessary expertise?

Policy

The Principal Investigator maintains full responsibility for the protocol.  The Principal Investigator(s) or co-Principal Investigator(s) listed on protocols are required to be certified in any special techniques they propose to use in their studies.  The Principle Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator must be proficient or include a plan to gain proficiency in all procedures affecting live animals.  Documentation must be provided that adequate training will be provided for all persons working on the protocol, including the Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator and student research assistants, if appropriate.  Proficiency must be gained before the study can begin.

Training is required, as applicable, in

	Husbandry for the particular species involved in the protocol
	Procedures, including surgical, to be performed on the animals

In addition, procedures for assuring adequate supervision of those performing the techniques must be documented.

Procedures

The Principal Investigator is responsible for training and supervision when he/she indicates competency in the techniques.  When the Principal Investigator is not competent in the techniques, University faculty/staff with the required expertise may provide the training and supervision through an arrangement with the Principal Investigator.  ORS will maintain a current list of faculty/staff competencies in animal procedures.

The Principal Investigator is required to either

1. Train research assistant(s) in the special techniques intended to be used on live animals in the study, or
2. Arrange for training of research assistant(s) by an expert in the special techniques intended to be used on live animals in the study.  The Principal Investigator, or co-Principal Investigator, will then be responsible to acquire the special techniques training from the research assistant(s).

Protocols will only be approved with Principal Investigator(s), or co-Principal Investigator(s) assurance of proficiency or a plan to gain proficiency is on file in ORS.

If University faculty/staff are not available, or not competent in the techniques required, the Principal Investigator will arrange for specific training.  The training plan must be approved by the IACUC prior to approval of the protocol.  Training resources include faculty at other institutions, veterinarians, veterinary training programs, and local industry.

Costs associated with training for protocols will be paid by the Principal Investigator.

An IACUC Protocol Technique Training Certification must be completed for each person performing any specialized procedures (husbandry or surgical) for each protocol.  This form must be signed by the authorized person performing the training, the Principal Investigator, and the Animal Facilities Director.  A copy is sent to the Office of Research Services.  A list of persons authorized to perform procedures will be posted in Animal Facilities. (Note: This requirement is in addition to, not in lieu of, the IACUC Student Certification.)

Federal Regulations

	Animal Welfare Act http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/awapdf.pdf
	USDA Animal Care Policy Manual http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/polmanpdf.html
	Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/phspol.htm
	Public Law 99-158, November 20, 1985 "Animals in Research"  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/hrea1985.htm
	Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/labrats

Useful Websites
 

	NIH Office of Animal Laboratory Welfare http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/olaw.htm Comprehensive website contains News Flashes and Archives, Policies and Laws Guidance, General Information, List of Institutions holding Animal Welfare Assurances, list of useful Links.
	NIH Office of Animal Laboratory Welfare Tutorial http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/tutorial/index.htm A tutorial for new animal care and use committee members, institutional administrators, investigators, animal care personnel, veterinarians, or others who are interested in learning about the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
	USDA Animal Care Home Page http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac Animal Care's Mission: AC provides leadership in establishing acceptable standards of humane animal care and treatment and to monitor and achieve compliance with the Animal Welfare Act through inspections, education, and cooperative efforts.
	Animal Welfare Information Center http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/ Division of the USDA National Agricultural Library, providing information for improved animal care and use in research, teaching, and testing.
	CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) http://www.citiprogram.org
	The CITI Program is a subscription service providing research ethics education to all members of the research community. To participate fully, learners must be affiliated with a CITI participating organization.
	The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) http://www.avma.org
	Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia http://www.avma.org/resources/euthanasia.pdf
	American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) http://www.aalas.org AALAS advances responsible care and use of laboratory animals to benefit people and animals.
	IACUC.ORG http://www.iacuc.org IACUC.ORG is an information resource for members and staff of institutional animal care and use committees. It is a link archive where online resources are organized by menus and submenus. Many who browse the Internet for IACUC resources may find it overwhelming to randomly sift through the enormity of Web sites and their online materials. IACUC.ORG was developed as an organizing tool to quickly point to a topic of interest, such as example protocol forms or disaster plans used by other institutions.  IACUC.ORG is produced by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS).
	Institute for Laboratory Animal Research http://www4.nas.edu/cls/ilarhome.nsf The Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) prepares authoritative reports on subjects of importance to the animal care and use community serves as a clearinghouse for information about animal resources develops and makes available scientific and technical information on laboratory animals and other biological research resources to the scientific community, institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs), the federal government, science educators and students, and the public.
	Scientists Center for Animal Welfare http://www.scaw.com SCAW’s ongoing activities include providing information about, for example, regulations and guidelines, ethical issues, performance standards, protocol review, facility design, the relationship between people and animals in a research setting, and alternative research methods. SCAW organizes and conducts conferences and seminars that explore scientific and ethical matters related to research activities and animal well-being - these meetings are sponsored by SCAW and also in cooperation with other national and regional organizations. SCAW also provides educational information and materials to teachers and students on all levels who are exploring these issues. SCAW’s publications are widely accepted.
	Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) http://www.primr.org PRIM&R has been committed to the advancement of strong research programs and to the consistent application of ethical precepts in both medicine and research. Through national conferences and published reports, it has addressed a broad range of issues in research, clinical practice, ethics, and the law.
	NIH Bioethics Resources on the Web http://www.nih.gov/sigs/bioethics This website contains a broad collage of annotated web links. The listed resources provide background information and various positions on issues in bioethics.
	Zoonoses The following websites offer information on diseases (zoonoses) that can be contracted from animals by humans. University of Pennsylvania: http://www.upenn.edu/regulatoryaffairs/animal/zoonoses.html County Of Los Angeles - Department Of Health Services, Public Health Programs and Services - Disease Control Programs Veterinary Public Health and Rabies Control Manual - Overview of Zoonoses: http://lapublichealth.org/vet/guides/vetzooman.htm World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/health-topics/zoonoses.htm Daniel Shapiro’s Zoonosis Web Page: (Daniel S. Shapiro, M.D. is Director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratories at Boston Medical Center, and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine.) http://medicine.bu.edu/dshapiro/zoo1.htm