Tip Sheet Volume 3:2

The Animal Welfare Act is a federal law passed in 1966 to regulate animal research facilities, animal dealers and exhibitors, operators of animal auction sales, and carriers and intermediate handlers of animals in shipment. The act requires that research institutions have: 1) an effective Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; 2) a veterinary care program in place; 3) a system ensuring that all personnel using or caring for live animals be qualified to do so; and 4) a mechanism in place for reporting concerns regarding animal care and use at the institution. The following information describes ISU's procedures for ensuring compliance with this act.

Responsibility of the Committee on Animal Care

The committee on animal care (COAC) is responsible for the review of all activities involving live vertebrate animals, the inspection of ISU's animal facilities, the review of ISU's animal care and use program, the review of concerns raised involving the care and use of animals, and regular reporting and recommendations based on the committee's inspections and review.

Protocol Approval

The COAC, prior to data collection, must approve all activities involving live vertebrate animals, except as noted on the web site below. A protocol review form (see web site below) should be submitted to the COAC approximately three weeks in advance to allow time for additional questions and changes required to ensure compliance.

The COAC review will determine:

• compliance with existing animal care and use policies that are outlined by the Public Health Service, the United States Department of Agriculture, the State of Iowa, and ISU;
• adequacy of the method proposed to individually mark all transgenic animals and their offspring;
• adequacy of the methods chosen to evaluate variations from transgenic animals of the same species; and
• availability of housing appropriate for the biological safety level assigned by the Biohazards and Public Health Committee (BPHC). Please note that, in these cases, approval from the BPHC committee is required prior to seeking approval from the COAC.

Protocol Modifications

The protocol review forms provided to the COAC should be treated like contracts. They may be renewed for up to two years, but a new form must be submitted in the third year. Any and all modifications to previously approved research or teaching protocols must be reviewed by the COAC. Failure to do this can result in non-compliance and suspension of projects. These modifications include changing the 1) objectives of the study, 2) outcome of surgery from non-survival to survival, 3) degree of invasiveness or discomfort to an animal, 4) target species, 5) approximate number of animals being used, 6) personnel involved in animal procedures, 7) anesthetic agent, 8) use or withholding of analgesics, 9) methods of
euthanasia, and 10) duration, frequency, or number of procedures performed on an animal.

Reminder: Additional information about the policies and procedures, including the protocol review forms, of the COAC can be found at: www.coac.iastate.edu. For questions regarding animal research approval, please contact Maria Bivens at msbivens@iastate.edu.

If you have any questions about this tip sheet or working with industry, please contact: Lisa Lorenzen, 1210 Molecular Biology Building, Phone: (515) 294-0926, Email: llorenze@iastate.edu

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Mike Wannemuehler and Joan Hopper for providing the information for this tip sheet.