Zebrafish and the IACUC

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Zebrafish and the IACUC
Amy Koerber Research Animal QA/QI
Coordinator Washington University, St. Louis MO
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Washington University

• AAALAC accredited
• Decentralized
• Managed by lab staff under
• P.I.

• 426 Investigators
• 723 Protocols
• 16 Investigators w/ fish protocols

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Outline

• Zebrafish Facility its Operations
• Aquatics Environment, Housing Management
• Personnel
• Training
• OHS
• Policies Procedures/SOPs
• Integration of the Zebrafish Facility with the
  Animal Care Program
• Animal Care Program Staff
• Veterinarian Staff
• IACUC
• Summary

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Zebrafish Facility and Its Operations
Vice Chancellor For Research
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Animal Affairs
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Veterinary
Affairs/ Director of DCM
IACUC
Research Animal QA/QI Coordinator
Veterinarians
Principal Investigator
Animal Facilities
Fish Facility Manager
Principle Investigators
Lab Personnel
Facility Associates
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Aquatics Environment, Housing and Management

• Design of the facility
• System
• Re-circulating
• AHAB/Aquaneering
• RO via. city water
• Filtration
• UV lamps
• Ceramic beads
• Quarantine
• Nursery
• Work surfaces
• RECORDS

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Aquatics Environment, Housing and Management

• Feeding
• Adults 3 times a day
• Fry 30-90 dpf, 3 times a day
• Fry lt30 dpf, 5 times a day
• This regimen is carried out 7 days a week.
  Holidays have exceptions.
• Maintenance Monitoring
• Tracked via a system of SOPs, check lists and
  records.
• Daily/Weekly action log.
• Equipment maintenance required less than every
  week is tracked on the equipment itself.

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Personnel
Principal Investigator
Fish Facility Manager
Lab Personnel
Facility Associate
Facility Associate
Facility Associate
Facility Associate
116 Manager to racks 416 Associates to
racks (10 hours a week each)

• Designated (staff) vs. split roll (staff,
  student, scientist).
• All are members of the lab.
• Notice difference from all other facilities at
  Wash. U.
• Why is this?

My background Biology/Marine
Science BS Animal Curator
Research Zebrafish
Associate Background Undergraduates Lab Personnel
Background Graduate students, Post-Docs, P.I.s,
technicians
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Training

• Hands on and written training administered by
  manager.
• Additional hands on training for specific
  procedures by other experienced lab members.
• On-Line module training provided by veterinary
  department.
• OHS is covered by Employee Health Human
  Resources.

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Policies and Procedures/SOPs

• Establishing Criteria
• Experience
• Other institutions established policies
• The Guide
• PHS Policy
• Consultation w/ other zebrafish users and
  facility managers

• SOPs
• Precise
• Charts Logs
• Policies Procedures
• Outline what is expected of personnel
• Provide Standardization, Accountability and
  Detailed Records (Main points of interest during
  a facility inspection)
• Compliance supported by P.I. backing

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Action Log
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Policies and Procedures/SOPs

• Allocation
• Decided by P.I.
• Census
• Small facility counting fish
• Larger facility by tank
• Mortality Log
• Number dead, cause, identification
• Monthly report
• Identification
• Stock , Genetic Name, DOF, Scientists Initials,
  Tank Number

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Policies and Procedures/SOPs

• Squeeze logs
• posted on individual tanks.
• Stock number records
• Detailed
• Kept in a Stock Book
• Available to inspectors.
• Procedures outside the fish room are tracked by
  lab personnel.
• Documentation/Records
• Templates for logs located in SOPs
• Logs include
• Daily tasks
• Weekly tasks
• Monthly tasks
• Water Quality (including graphs)
• Mortalities
• Equipment maintenance
• Employee schedules (Fish room coverage)
• Animal additions

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Outline

• Zebrafish Facility its Operations
• Environment, Housing Management
• Personnel
• Training
• OHS
• Policies Procedures/SOPs
• Integration of the Zebrafish Facility with the
  Animal Care Program
• Animal Care Program Staff
• Veterinarian Staff
• IACUC
• Summary

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Veterinary Staff IACUC

• Veterinary Staff
• None with zebrafish experience.
• Advice and services sent outside the university.
• No known health issues diagnosed in the fish.
• IACUC
• ASC (Animal Studies Committee)
• Walk-throughs are unannounced.
• Protocols available to lab personnel via P.I.s.
• Previous to integration initiative, inspection
  criteria was uncertain due to the minimal
  training provided to the IACUC in Zebrafish
  matters. This has improved in the last year.

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Outline

• Zebrafish Facility its Operations
• Environment, Housing Management
• Personnel
• Training
• OHS
• Policies Procedures/SOPs
• Integration of the Zebrafish Facility with the
  Animal Care Program
• Animal Care Program Staff
• Veterinarian Staff
• IACUC
• Summary

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Moving Towards Integration

• Guideline drawn up by the ASC outlining
  inspection expectations.
• Veterinarian with interest in integrating
  zebrafish.
• Collaboration between a facility manager and a
  veterinarian.
• Former Zebrafish facility manager now a member of
  the IACUC.
• Publication in JAALAS.
• "Preparing for a Semiannual IACUC Inspection of a
  Satellite Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Facility.
• Readiness of the Facility Operator and IACUC
  Inspector"

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Acknowledgements

• Dr. George Sanders
• Christian Lawrence Karen Krueger
• ASC staff at Washington University, St. Louis
• DCM staff at Washington University, St. Louis
• Dr. Jenny Kalishman