IACUC

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IACUC

• Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

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Regulatory Agencies

• USDA United States Department of Welfare
• AWA Animal Welfare Act
• OLAW Office for Laboratory Animal Welfare
• NIH and NSF
• AAALAC association for the Assessment and
  accreditation of laboratory animal care
• AALA American Association of Laboratory Animal
  Science

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The IACUC committee is composed of

• Compliance officer (non voting)
• Chair
• Veterinarian
• Users (4 to 6)
• Non scientific non user
• Community member
• Appointed by President of University to oversee
  all animal care and use
• ALL animal facilities labs and farm
• Can suspend any research/animal use that is not
  in compliance

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Role of the IACUC

• Protocol Review
• Program Review
• Facilities Review
• Address animal concerns
• Must meet at least twice a year generally meet
  monthly
• Inspect all animal use facilities (vivarium,
  labs, farm) at least twice yearly

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Areas of Oversight

• General Animal use
• Who and what
• Where, how, when and how many
• Sick Animal procedures
• Surgery procedures
• Record keeping for animals
• Drugs DEA
• Euthanasia training and oversight
• Occupational health and safety
• Chemical use
• Certifications for staff researchers and
  caretakers
• Training
• General IACUC policy/procedure
• Care and handling of animals
• Housing

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IACUC protocols

• Deal with several different issues than IRB
  protocols
• Animal species, number and source
• Pain and stress classification and justification
• Housing
• Infectious disease, chemicals, food chain issues,
  etc.
• Description of study/experimental methods
• Justification of numbers/species/alternatives to
  animal research
• Prevention/monitoring of Pain and distress
• Euthanasia

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Pain and Stress Classifications

• Classification A No pain, distress, or use of
  pain-killing drugs. (i.e. post-mortem tissue
  harvest and routine procedures causing only
  transitory discomfort such as venipuncture,
  injections, ear tagging, use of non-inflammatory
  adjuvants)
• Classification B Pain/distress with appropriate
  analgesic/anesthesia/tranquilizers. Procedures
  involving accompanying pain or distress to the
  animals and for which the appropriate anesthetic
  (for surgery), analgesic (for inflammation or
  pain) or tranquilizing drugs are used. (YOU MUST
  COMPLETE APPENDIX B)
• Classification C Pain/distress without
  appropriate analgesic/anesthesia/tranquilizers.
  Procedures involving accompanying pain or
  distress to the animals and for which the
  appropriate anesthetic, analgesics or
  tranquilizing drugs are not used. (YOU MUST
  COMPLETE APPENDIX B)
• Federal guidelines require that alternatives are
  consider for all procedures that cause more than
  momentary pain or distress to animals

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Must be able to answer to several following
committees and issues

• _____Yes _____No Behavioral Studies
• _____Yes _____No Trauma
• _____Yes _____No Client-owned animals
  (provide a copy of the consent form the owners
  will sign)
• _____Yes _____No Animals are sent to
  slaughter or put into the human food chain
• _____Yes _____No Euthanasia and harvesting of
  tissue only
• _____Yes _____ No Chemicals (i.e.
  carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins, or
  highly toxic
• substances)
• _____Yes _____No Radiation (i.e. irradiation,
  radio labeled substances, sealed radioactive
  sources, lasers, etc.)
• _____Yes _____No Infectious Agents
  (bacterial, viral, fungal, etc, human blood and
  bodily fluids are
• 
  considered potentially
  infectious)
• _____Yes _____No Use of recombinant DNA
• Please note for any of the items below checked
  yes you must attach the designated completed
  appendices (All protocols must include a
  completed Environmental Health Safety Risk
  Assessment, Appendix A)
• _____Yes _____No Included a completed
  Appendix A
• _____Yes _____No Animals classified in stress
  levels B or C from Section II Appendix B
• _____Yes _____No Housing of animals outside
  of the approved housing areas for more than 12
• hours Appendix C
• _____Yes _____No Survival Surgery Appendix
  D

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Which animals must have an IACUC approval before
you can use them?

• Any vertebrate animal
• Rodents
• Any mammal!
• fish!
• Not crustaceans
• Not insects
• Approval is granted to
• Faculty only
• For up to three years (in yearly approvals)
• Must reapply with entire new protocol after three
  years
• All users must be listed on protocol and be
  trained in IACUC and animal care and use
  procedures.
• Any change in procedures must be submitted in
  writing and approved by the IACUC before they can
  be implemented.
• Binding signature PI is essentially signing a
  contract stating what they will do.

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How are hazards handled?

• Anyone working with biohazards, including tissue,
  specimens, any sharps, chemical, radiation, etc.,
  must follow Bloodborne Pathogen plan
• All personnel must wear protective clothing when
  working with biohazards
• All incidents must be reported
• bites, sticks, spills, etc.
• Report to local lab (we have a book)
• If significant, to Dept. chair and Assoc Director
  of Research
• Each PI must provide training in safety and
  appropriate procedures
• Common sense rules!
• Wash hands
• Dont eat/drink while handling animals
• No smoking!
• Etc.

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Who can use animals and enter animal facilities?

• Only approved personnel
• Must have passed training!
• Special permission from IACUC chair or Assist
  Director of Research
• Keys only issued by RSP

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Care of animals

• Any concern regarding an animal should be
  immediately reported to RSP, any IACUC member, or
  the consulting vet.
• ALL research personnel are responsible for
  reporting injury, illness or other issues!
• Vet consultation required for any category B or C
  procedure BEFORE it is implemented.

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What animals do we have at ISU?

• Farm animals
• Cows, pigs, sheep, etc. (NO horses)
• Laboratory animals
• Rats (not USDA regulated)
• Hamsters
• Guinea pigs
• Rabbits (generally housed alone)
• Mice only species we breed

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How are animals housed?

• As much as possible in social housing, if
  appropriate for the species
• Each has a cage card with DOB, DOA, species, PI
  and IACUC
• Also use other permanent/semi-permanent markings
• Any deprivation conditions must be clearly
  lablelled
• Do not feed/do not water
• This indicates it is the PIs responsibility for
  feeding.
• Special regulations regarding diet, lighting,
  temperature and humidity are regulated by USDA,
  AWA and NIH/NSF
• We require shoe covers (and whenever possible lab
  coats and gloves)- also use disinfectant when
  entering vivarium. This keeps things clean!
• Door is kept LOCKED!

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How should I handle my animal?

• Rabbits pick up by scruff of neck with hand
  UNDERNEATH their body supporting it. Can also be
  picked up around middle, with other hand
  supporting under body
• Rats and mice
• Grasp tail at BASE of tail and gently lift rat
• Grasp rat/mouse with thumb/forefinger around
  middle, middle finger between neck and forearm
• Scoop up from underneath abdomen
• Hold rats/mice close to you- not out in air
• Hamsters
• Just like rats (except tailing!)
• Scoop them into a cup and transport in cup
• Rats/hamsters transported in plastic carrier
  drawers between vivarium and lab housed in these
  drawers with water and food as appropriate.

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Illness or injury

• A sick rat or hamster
• Has significantly less movement
• Loose stool
• Poor coat or skin sores
• Chattering or wheezes when breathing
• Discharge around eyes/nose
• Scrunched up appearance
• Poor food/water intake
• IF you think your rat/hamster is ill or injured
• REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO TA, Dr. Val, or the Animal
  Tech (Bob)
• It is your responsibility to report ANY animal in
  distress- yours or not!
• Think like a rat/hamster treat them
  respectfully, humanely and they will treat you
  nicely back!