Protocol for Research Proposals
Loyola University New Orleans Animal Care and Use Committee
Purpose:
As mandated by the Federal Welfare Act and the Public Health Service and the National Institute of Health, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) must develop protocols for reviewing and approving research proposals that involve vertebrates. The protocols seek to establish a mechanism to insure proper care, maintenance, and use of animals in research and teaching applications, while also providing efficient and timely review so that research and teaching efforts are not unduly delayed.
Structure:
Loyola's Animal Care and Use Committee is structured in accordance with the regulations of the Animal Welfare Act of 1985 (as amended) and the recommendations of the Public Health Service Policy on Animal Care and Use. The committee meets formally twice a year to develop and review guidelines. Additional committee meetings may be called by the chairperson or may be requested by committee members. Committee membership requirements are described in the PHS-NIH guidelines on IACUCs and in regulations of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the USDA.
Loyola's Animal Care and Use Committee is bound by the regulations of APHIS, as well as the guidelines of PHS-NIH policy. An assurance filed with OPRR of the Public Health Service commits the University to abide by minimal standards of animal care, maintenance, and use as outlined in the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals by Awardee Institutions. The protocols developed here fit within the structure of Loyola's ACUC and should be consistent with the regulations of APHIS and OPRR.
Regulations:
The protocols developed here should comply with regulations of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA (Subchapter A Animal Welfare), which are hereafter referred to as "the regulations". Copies will be made available to researchers and educators at Loyola. Generally, the care, maintenance, and use of animals should conform to these minimal regulations. Adherence to, and variances in meeting these guidelines are considered by the Loyola ACUC during proposal review.
Protocol for review of research proposals involving the use of vertebrate animals at Loyola University New Orleans.
Who needs to apply? The regulations of the Animal Welfare Act of 1985 specify that all research involving the care, maintenance, and use of vertebrate animals fall within jurisdiction of the Act.
Research conducted at Loyola University which utilizes vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, either as live experimental subjects, or as tissue samples should be approved by the Loyola ACUC. The regulations are not clear regarding how care and maintenance of wild-caught vertebrates relate to specific guidelines for the more typical laboratory animals (see statements below).
Grant proposals submitted to a variety of extramural funding agencies (e.g., NIH, NSF) require a letter of support, indicating compliance with OPRR guidelines (PHS-NIH), from the institution's ACUC.
Application. The Loyola ACUC recommends that researchers at Loyola University thoroughly understand the regulations regarding care, maintenance, and use of animals in research, while they are developing their research project and prior to their submission of an application to conduct research. The fundamental areas of concern are a) legal acquisition (collection or purchase) of animals, b) transportation to primary housing, c) primary housing facilities, d) routines for care (including veterinary support), e) experimental procedures, and f) euthanasia.
Applications should be prepared using cover forms and the outline as described below. Three copies of completed proposals should be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Loyola ACUC at least one month prior to the anticipated starting date for the project. The Chairperson will examine the proposal to assure that all necessary points are included, then will disseminate copies to the committee members.
Cover Form. A cover form containing salient information on the research proposal should be attached to each application. This form would request the following:
- Researcher
- Title of Project
- Project summary
- Starting and ending dates
- Animals to be used
- Source of animals
- Site of primary housing
- Experimental procedure checklist
Proposal. The researcher should then provide a brief explanation of the project design, goals, and experimental procedures in text form. The following headings should be included:
Goals of the proposed research. A concise statement of the research goals of the proposed project should be included here. What questions does the project address.
Use of experimental animals. This section should address the question of why the use of experimental animals is necessary for the research project
Experimental procedures. This section should include a straight forward statement of the experimental procedures that will be used in the project. In addition to a brief explanation of research methods, this section should explain experimental procedures that will be applied to research animals.
Animals. The source of animals, together with the number and other salient points concerning experimental animals should be included here. The sample size (numbers) of animals to be used should be justified with reference to the experimental design.
Primary housing. The site and facilities of primary housing for the experimental animals should be detailed. Researchers should take special notice of the regulations on the nature of cages, primary enclosures, etc
Care and maintenance. Daily routines for the care and maintenance of experimental animals should be explained in detail. This section should specify the person (or persons) responsible for primary care of the research animals.
Euthanasia. Experimental protocols for euthanasia should be described.
Research Schedule. A proposed schedule of the research project, including starting and ending dates should be stated. Researchers should insure that adequate primary housing and animal care is available for the duration of the proposed project.
Other. Additional information relating to the proposed research project should be explained in this section.
