If your research involves vertebrates, your work probably requires IACUC approval. To receive approval. You need to complete several steps:
Step 1: Determine if IACUC approval is needed and if so, what type. Use the decision making tree help. For further questions please contact the IACUC chair.
if IACUC approval is needed, then....
Step 2: Complete an IACUC training through the CITI program
Step 3: Download and complete an Animal Use Protocol (AUP). At this point it can often be helpful to contact the veterinarian for insight into best practices.
Step 4: Submit the certificate from the training program and the animal use protocol to the IACUC for review.
The IACUC chair will provide a brief review and ask you to address any obvious issues. If there are none or the issues are resolved and sent back to the chair; the chair will then submit the protocol to the committee for review.
The IACUC utilizes two types of review:
1. Full Committee Review. Requires a convened meeting of a quorum of the IACUC members; proposals reviewed by the full committee must receive the approval vote of a majority (>50%) of the quorum present in order receive approval. Outcomes from a full committee review include: approval; require modifications (in order to secure approval); withhold approval. Work can NOT begin until the protocol has received IACUC approval.
2. Designated Member Review. To utilize designated member review, each IACUC member must be provided with at least a list of the proposed research protocols or proposed significant changes to previously approved protocols prior to the review. All members must have the opportunity to request full committee review of any proposal. If no member requests full committee review, the Chair designates one or more qualified members to review the proposal (or proposed amendment). These designated members have authority to approve, require modifications (in order to secure approval), or request full committee review. Work can NOT begin until the protocol has received IACUC approval.
While we will make every attempt to review submissions as quickly as possible, new protocol submissions can take up to one month from the submission deadline to review, modify, and approve. During the review process, there is occasionally the need for additional information or for protocol modifications to be made in order to secure approval. Therefore, it is imperative that principal investigators are prepared to work with the committee to ensure a timely review. Immediate review of protocol submissions and modifications can be requested; however, there is no guarantee on the timeline for these submissions.
Principal Investigators will be notified IN WRITING of all IACUC actions regarding submitted protocols.
After initial protocol approval, any significant protocol changes must be approved by IACUC. “Significant” includes:
Changes in study objectives.
Proposals to switch from non-survival to survival surgery.
Changes in the degree of invasiveness of a procedure or discomfort to an animal.
Changes in species.
Changes in the approximate number of animals used.
Changes in personnel involved in animal procedures. Use the Protocol-Personnel Modification
Changes in anesthetic agent(s), the use or withholding of analgesics, and methods of euthanasia.
Changes in the duration, frequency, or number of procedures performed on an animal.
Annual reports are due by May 31 for any IACUC approved projects that were initially approved to begin June 1 or later of the previous year and are still active. For example, if your protocol was approved August 30, 2024 for a 3 year duration, you must submit an annual report on or before May 31 of 2025, 2026, 2027. If you wish to extend the project, the final annual review becomes a ‘third year review’ and an updated animal use protocol is submitted for IACUC consideration.
NOTE: All Principal investigators and research personnel must complete CITI Animal Care and Use training prior to protocol review. Principal Investigators MUST be full time, permanent SEU faculty or staff.
NOTE: If you are preparing a grant proposal that requests funding for work with vertebrates, an IACUC protocol must be submitted to IACUC before or at the same time as submission of the proposal, even if the funding agency doesn’t require IACUC approval until after the grant has been awarded. This is to ensure IACUC has sufficient time to review the protocol so that there is not a delay when the funding agency requires approval.