Minimal standards of care and housing for laboratory animals are defined by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the NIH Guide. Institutional policy may, however, impose more stringent criteria.
The IACUC is charged with warranting that the university “ensure that all scientists, research technicians, animal technicians, and other personnel involved in animal care, treatment, and use are qualified to perform their duties. This responsibility shall be fulfilled in part through the provision of training and instruction to those personnel” (Animal Welfare Act, 2.32). The Act further specifies areas of training that should be included.
Since both the Animal Welfare Act and the PHS Policy mandate review of all research/teaching/demonstration projects involving use of vertebrate animals, in recent years it has fallen upon the IACUC to develop a mechanism that will facilitate this review, allowing us to meet regulatory requirements without imposing an undue burden on individual investigators.
All institutions covered by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) or receiving government funding for research or teaching involving laboratory animals must have an active Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The IACUC is required to have at least five members, including a veterinarian, a scientist with laboratory experience, a non-scientist, and a person who is not affiliated with the institution and does not use lab animals at another research facility.
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