Veterinary Medicine: about IACUC

What is the IACUC:

        - The IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee) is a standing committee whose composition and responsibilities are mandated by the Animal Welfare Act as amended in 1985.
        - By law, the IACUC must be composed of, at a minimum, three members: a Chair, a veterinarian with training or experience in Laboratory Animal Medicine, and a non-affiliated member.
        - The AFRIMS IACUC contains at least one voting member from each scientific department.
        - It is the responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer of the research institute, in AFRIMS case, the Director, AFRIMS, to appoint the IACUC. All IACUC minutes and reports are reviewed and signed by the Director, AFRIMS.

Role of IACUC:

        - Acts as an advisory body to the AFRIMS Director, the IACUC ensures that all animals in experimental research are used appropriately and treated in accordance with the highest standards of humane care. The IACUC represents society's concerns regarding the welfare of animal subjects used... and is expected to be the conscience for the institute on animal welfare concerns.
        - The IACUC is responsible for reviewing, monitoring, and making recommendations to the Director on all matters related to animal care, treatment, and use. The IACUC is responsible for keeping abreast of changes in animal use legislation and guidelines and recommending modifications to the institution's program to ensure that research and the animal use program fully comply with the letter and spirit of the law.
        - In carrying out these responsibilities, the IACUC is not a scientific review group, per se. All projects have been determined to be appropriate, mission related, and scientifically sound by the time they reach the IACUC. However, humane treatment and scientific methodology are closely related and often inseparable. Therefore, the science is discussed and reviewed only as it relates specifically to animal use.

IACUC Duties and Procedures:

        - The duty most identified with the IACUC is protocol review. The IACUC conducts a thorough and comprehensive review of all new proposals and amendments to existing protocols.
        - All continuing protocols also receive annual review to ensure that no significant deviations from established and approved procedures are included. All principal investigators are required to complete an annual review report as part of this process.
        - When reviewing protocols, the IACUC must ensure that: all procedures involving animals will avoid or minimize pain and distress to the animals; the principal investigator has considered alternatives to procedures that cause more than momentary pain or distress to the animals; the principal investigator has provided written assurance that the protocol proposed does not unnecessarily duplicate previous experiments; appropriate anesthetics and analgesics are used when necessary; personnel are properly trained to perform the proposed procedures; activities that involve surgery provide for appropriate pre-operative and post-operative care and that aseptic practices are followed; and that methods of euthanasia are consistent with methods set forth by the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia.
        - The IACUC is required to inspect, at least once every six months, the research institute's animal facilities, including animal study areas, which are defined as any areas in which an animal work is performed. Not only is the physical facility inspected, such as animal housing and facility maintenance, but the entire animal program is reviewed. This involves reviewing animal health records, observing surgery, reviewing post-operative records, and reviewing the Biosafety, chemical safety, radiation safety, and occupational health program. At the AFRIMS, this semiannual function is called the Facility Inspection and Program Review, or FIPR. The IACUC can use subcommittees composed of at least two committee members to evaluate different aspects of the program. The IACUC must make a written report of its findings, which must be signed by a majority of committee members and submitted to the Director. The report must include minority views, if expressed.
        - The IACUC must review and investigate, if necessary, any concerns involving the care and use of animals at the research institute resulting from complaints or reports of noncompliance. The IACUC has the authority to suspend an activity that it previously approved if it determines that the activity is not being conducted in accordance with the description provided by the investigator in his/her protocol.
        - Included in this section is AFRIMS Policy Letter 01-2, In addition to delineating the IACUC's responsibilities and procedures for enacting those responsibilities, the Policy Letter contains information about writing protocols and protocol amendments, and describes the responsibilities of the Institute Director, Division Directors, and the Principal Investigator with respect to laboratory animal welfare and use.

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