Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC)
Welcome
In this web site you will learn about the IACUC at Pacific, how it runs, and how faculty and students are expected to work with the committee at the outset of a research or teaching project involving animal subjects. Please read this introduction to acquaint yourself with our operating principles.
Who We Are
The purpose of the Pacific IACUC is to:
- Ensure humane treatment of any and all laboratory and classroom animals
- Ensure availability of appropriate veterinary care
- Ensure proper training and safety of laboratory and classroom workers
- Ensure that Pacific University has conformed to all Federal regulations concerning animal use and well-being
As stated by the National Institutes of Health Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, each IACUC has a mandate to review their institution’s program for the care and use of animals and to inspect any animal facilities (including satellite facilities) every six months (olaw@od.nih.gov).
To uphold this charge, Pacific University policy requires all faculty, students, or staff involved with animal research or teaching activities to work directly and conscientiously with the IACUC:
- Before research or teaching activity is initiated
- During research or teaching activity if the protocol requires continuing review
- During research or teaching activity if the research protocol needs to change
- During research or teaching activity if an adverse event occurs
- After research or teaching activity ends, to close the file
The committee has created templates and formalized procedures to guide you through this.
What to Expect
Before research or teaching activity can commence, the IACUC will assess the effect of the proposed activities on the animals involved in the study. The IACUC has the sole authority to require revisions for proposed animal subject activities and to approve proposed activities. We, and, in some circumstances, other institutional officials can also disapprove, suspend or terminate animal subject activities. Note that the IACUC does not comment on the scientific merit of a proposed research design, unless the merit is disproportionate with the potential effect on the animals.
The IACUC Chair will determine whether your planned activities fall under the federal guidelines for research or teaching with animal subjects (or one of the co-Chairs, as the case may be). This practice is warranted because the IACUC is most familiar with the relevant federal regulations and interpretations thereof.
In the pages that follow are detailed instructions on how to work with the IACUC in making these determinations and in getting your research activities ready for implementation. We look forward to working with you.
IACUC Calendar
Submission Date
Meeting Dates (approx)
Committee Decision By*
* The committee's first decision should be announced by this date, however, if further modifications and resubmissions are necessary, approval to proceed may not be granted at this time. For this reason, all faculty are recommended to submit as far in advance as is practical, and should plan for at least two months for full approval process.
Reporting concerns with animal well-being
It is our role to ensure the well-being of all research or teaching animals used or housed at Pacific University. All reports are treated seriously and are investigated and corrective action is taken as appropriate. If you have a specific concern about an animal at Pacific University please contact the IACUC at IACUC@pacificu.edu.
Does my project need IACUC approval?
Research, teaching, or testing on or with ANY live vertebrate animal requires IACUC approval. This includes use of assistive animals.
Studies being performed on invertebrates do not require IACUC approval.
If you are unsure whether your project needs approval, please feel free to write us at IACUC@pacificu.edu.
Protocol Submission
The IACUC needs enough information about your study to review it for the protection of all animal subjects, and to offer you advice, as needed, on ways to improve animal well-being.
When you submit your proposal to the IACUC, please include the following documents:
- The completed proposal using the template developed by the IACUC. Download .Doc
- Any additional Appendices noted within the main body of the proposal
If you have any questions about these materials, please contact the IACUC at IACUC@pacificu.edu.
Submission Process
The Pacific University IACUC is committed to a low-paper process. We require that you submit your proposal electronically, via email to IACUC@pacificu.edu. We accept electronic signatures, otherwise send a signed copy of the signature page to Office of Research, A-133.
Resources
The following resources are available to help familiarize you with areas of potential concern in contemporary laboratory or classroom animal use. If you haven’t already done so, the IACUC strongly recommends that as you prepare your research or teaching proposal, you (the investigators) review the ethical guidelines associated with your protocol. The following links should help in this regard.
Additional Resources: