Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

The Institutional Animal Care and Us e Committee (IACUC) is the committee at OHIO charged with assuring the protection of animals used in research, teaching and testing. This is done through education and a review and monitoring process to ensure that the research complies with applicable regulations.

Why IACUC is important to research
Review is required by federal regulation and serves to protect both t he animals being used as well as the persons conducting the research. All use of animals in research, teaching or testing by OHIO personnel requires IACUC review prior to start of work, whether funded or not. Investigators seeking external funding should determine at what stage approval is required by the agency to which they are applying. Some funding agencies require approval prior to submitting an application for funding; others require the approval prior to release of funding once awarded. Internal fund ing programs require approval prior to release of funds. Most publications will not accept manuscripts without documentation of IACUC approval for the work.

DON'T FO RGET: All use of animals in research, teaching or testing by OHIO personnel requires IACUC review prior to start of work whether funded or not.

IACUC Committee
The Vice President for Research, who also serves as the Institutional Official for animal research issues, appoints the IACUC. The committee includes expert representation from the disciplines using animals in research, a veterinarian and a non-affiliated community member. Deadlines and meeting dates for each quarter are posted on the compliance website, www.ohiou.edu/research/compliance.

TIP: The IACUC normally meets monthly and there is a submission deadline approximately two weeks ahead of each meeting for a protocol to be included on the agenda.

Approval Process
All investigators must complete the animal care training program in order to receive approval to use animals in research, testing or teaching. OHIO uses a designated reviewer system for protocol review. Protocols, renewals and addenda are submitted to a centralized research compliance office for processing. Protocols for USDA covered species are approved for a maximum of 1 year. A maximum of 3 years is approved for other species. The IACUC may specify a shorter time period of approval. For both designated and full review, once the final outcome of the protocol review is completed the c ompliance office notifies the investigator of the outcome and the approval or denial of approval of the protocol.

The IACUC chair determines the method of review. In the case that a protocol or amendment is identified for designated review, a complete copy of the protocol is sent to the designated reviewers for review and all other members receive notification that the designated review is occurring. In practice, the full committee reviews most protocols, renewals and addenda. OHIO uses a “pre-review” system in which the reviewers submit issues raised during their initial review to the central IACUC office where they are compiled and sent to the investigator prior to the meeting. The investigator response, and a revision if submitted, is sent to the IACUC prior to the monthly meeting where the entire committee reviews it. At the meeting protocols may be called to a vote for approval where they either receive approval or have approval withheld. Protocols t hat have issues that are unresolved, or for which additional issues are raised, may be tabled. At the meeting the committee may instead vote to send the protocol to designated review for approval when minor corrections are still needed if they do not feel the issues require a return to the full committee.

Forms
All forms are available on the compliance website:
www.ohiou.edu/research/compliance

IACUC Full Application Form - used for new protocols, including invasive field studies.
IACUC Exempt Field S tudy Form - used if the investigator is doing field study research that is non-invasive, such as observation of behaviors.
IACUC Purchased Antibody Form - used if investigators use antibodies commercially manufactured
especially for them.
Health and Safety Form - Investigators and all personnel, including students, who will work with animals on a project must also complete this form in addition to the application to use anima ls.
IACUC Application to Amend an Approved Protocol - used if an investigator needs to amend an already approved protocol.

TIP: Uses of antibodies that are comme rcially available “off the shelf” do not require IACUC approval.

If you are collaborating with a researcher at another institution, and all the animal work will occur at that institution, you may apply to have IACUC approval deferred to the institution at which the animal work will occur. A copy of the protocol submitted to the other institution, and an approval form from their IACUC is required for the Ohio University IACUC to defer approval.

Assurances and Accreditations
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), within the US Department of Health and Human Services, is the agency charged with overseeing animal research. OHIO has an OLAW-approved assurance of compliance with the HHS regulations for the protection of animals used fo r research and teaching. The assurance number is A3610-01.

OHIO also holds a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) license as a research facility. The license number is 31-R-082.

OHIO’s animal program is accredited by the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC, Int.).

TIP: The federal animal subjects assurance number for OHIO is A3610-01.

<< Previous Section Next Section >>