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RESEARCH INVESTIGATOR HANDBOOK 3. OBTAINING REGULATORY COMMITTEE APPROVALS
• What kinds of animals can I use
in my research? AAALAC Accreditation UCSF is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), and our Laboratory Animal Resource Center (LARC) is maintained and operated in compliance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Any research or instructional use of laboratory animals conducted under the jurisdiction of this campus, must be reviewed and approved by our Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee(IACUC), the membership and procedures of which fully comply with Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. What kinds of animals can I use in my research at UCSF? At UCSF, a wide range of animal species serve as research subjects. These range from aquatic species, avian, and most mammalian species commonly used in research. If your animal model requires special needs, you should contact the Laboratory Animal Research Center (LARC) early in the process of locating to UCSF. LARC provides quality care for all warm blooded animals and most frogs used at the UCSF. LARC maintains a fully staffed veterinary surgery unit and can assist with many large animal surgeries. Veterinary health technicians are available during normal business hours, typically from 7:30 a.m. to about 6 p.m., and provide some limited coverage on weekends and holidays to assist with the care of your research animals. Veterinarians are on call 24 hours a day for veterinary medical matters. Husbandry services are provided every day. LARC has a wide range of experienced veterinarians, animal health technicians, and husbandry management and frontline staff. They are available to assist your research efforts and care for your animals. Contact the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at 476-2197. You can call this number for help with the application and approval class, class scheduling, and general information. You can also refer to the Contacts portion of the IACUC website for additional contact information. For large animal space contact LARC to discuss your needs. For rodents such as mice and rats, you may contact LARC to discuss your needs, but a formal space allocation must come from the Animal Users’ Advisory Committee. LARC can guide you on how to submit to the Animal Users’ Advisory Committee a request for space allocation. As part of your introduction to UCSF animal based research, we recommend that you review the LARC website. On the LARC website you will find contact information, per diem and service rates, rodent program information and similar items. For additional information, you may contact the LARC Office at 476-2204. The IACUC is responsible for institutional compliance with all applicable Federal regulations, State laws and University policies governing the humane care and use of animals. At UCSF, this includes education and training in the care and use of animals in research and the regulatory oversight of all vertebrate animal research at UCSF. The committee consists of faculty members, practicing scientists, veterinarians, as well as non-affiliated and non-scientist members. IACUC Approval: Before you undertake any type of vertebrate animal research at UCSF, you must submit an animal use protocol to the IACUC for review and approval. IACUC applications are submitted online via Research Information Online (RIO) and must be submitted at least six to eight weeks in advance of initiating the animal research to allow sufficient time for the review process to occur. In addition, all personnel listed on a protocol must satisfy all IACUC training requirements prior to beginning any animal related work. Other Approvals: You must also obtain appropriate authorization from the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEH&S) for approval to use biohazardous materials, radioactive materials, or controlled substances. For more detailed information, contact your Departmental Safety Advisor (DSA) or call the OEH&S office at 476-1300. Use of human cells including stem cells, may require approval from the Committee on Human Research (CHR) and/or the Human Gamete, Embryo, and Stem Cell Research Committee (GESCR). For further information call 476-1814.What resources and training are available?
What study auditing is required? As the Principal Investigator you are responsible for ensuring that all laboratory staff conduct animal research in accordance with all applicable regulations, laws, and policies, and follow the approved IACUC protocol exactly as written. Federal law requires the IACUC to conduct biannual inspections of animal procedure and housing areas to verify that they are in compliance with animal welfare regulations. In addition, your laboratory may be audited by the IACUC at any time, either as part of UCSF’s routine post-approval monitoring program, or as a result of concern expressed about animal welfare. These audits include site visits, review of all records and procedures, adequacy of personnel training, and compliance with all provisions of IACUC approved protocols, and animal welfare concerns as appropriate. The US Dept of Agriculture (USDA) also conducts unannounced animal facility inspections, and their findings, including any citations issued to UCSF become part of public record, and is available to the public on the USDA website.Top Tips to speed up the approval process and prevent problems:
Relevant policies and procedures: The principal investigator has the overall responsibility for the conduct of the study in accordance with the applicable regulatory and UCSF Policy requirements. Ethical, regulatory, and policy mandates require that approval by a duly appointed Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) be granted before any research project using vertebrate animal subjects can be initiated. These mandates include:
Failure to comply with animal welfare and safety regulations is taken seriously at UCSF. The IACUC has the authority suspend your animal research or even revoke your animal research privileges at UCSF. Furthermore, if NIH funds your research, the IACUC must notify them of any animal research suspensions, which could potentially affect research funding. |
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