1. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

1.1 Animal care and use at the University

Ensuring that animals are used appropriately and cared for humanely is a responsibility borne by both the scientific community and society at large. There are good reasons to use animals in research and in other projects, but our respect for life and our duty not to cause unnecessary harm place constraints on those activities.

Upholding the University's responsibility toward its animals is the charge of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), as specified by The Regents' policy on Animal Care and Usage. The IACUC oversees all of the University's programs and facilities that either house or use animals. Its primary task is to review proposals for projects that use animals to ensure that those projects fulfill two general criteria: they must be justified by their societal benefits; and they must treat animals humanely. The scope of the IACUC's responsibility for review covers all animal use at all University campuses.

The IACUC also regularly inspects each project and facility that uses animals, reevaluates the University's overall animal care and use program, and helps University departments develop and deliver training and educational programs to the research community and the public on animal care and use. It carries out these tasks in concert with the University's Research Animal Resources, which is responsible for the acquisition, daily care, and veterinary care of all laboratory animals on the Twin Cities campus.

1.2 The federal basis

At the heart of the federal requirements is the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals in testing, research, and training. This policy provides the core of the operational guidelines for the University of Minnesota Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

In addition, the University's policies on animal use adhere to the federal requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et. seq.), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals, and the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

The federal regulations are administered by the USDA and the National Institutes of Health's Office for Lab Animal Welfare (OLAW). The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service enforces the Animal Welfare Act Regulations primarily by inspecting animal care and use facilities. The OLAW administers and coordinates the Public Health Service Policy primarily by requiring institutions that operate animal care and use facilities to adhere to "assurance" documents. The University of Minnesota's assurance identifies the University's responsibilities and explains what the University does to meet the federal regulations for animal care and use. The Institutional Official for Animal Care and Use, through the IACUC and Research Animal Resources ensure that the assurance is upheld.

1.3 Organization of the committee

The IACUC's ability to evaluate the institutional care and use of animals depends on the diverse backgrounds of its members. The committee includes representatives from units that use animals for research, teaching, or service, from the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, from Research Animal Resources, and from the community outside the University. Several members have experience in laboratory animal science and are responsible for activities in which animals are used; at least one member comes from outside the scientific community. One member may be a University student. Federal regulations require that the IACUC have at least five members, although it typically has more in order to provide a suitable breadth of expertise.

1.4 The IACUC Office

The IACUC Office staff provides administrative, educational, and compliance support to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The IACUC Office is a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Next Section: 2. What is subject to review