Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

• IACUC Home
• Animal Use Guidelines
• Forms
• Policies
• Medical Surveillance
• Training
• Protocol Writing Assistance
• Reporting Concerns
• Occupational Health
• Schedule
• Links

A Guide for Animal Users

Important Contact Numbers

IACUC Office	412-383-2008	iacuc@pitt.edu
Frank Jenkins, Ph.D., IACUC Chair	412-623-3233	fjenkins@pitt.edu
Ed Kennah, Ph.D., IACUC Office Director	412-383-2014	ekennah@pitt.edu
Julie Cursi , IACUC Training Coordinator	412-383-1737	cursija@upmc.edu

New IACUC Protocol Submission:

1)	Download form from http://www.iacuc.pitt.edu/Forms.asp.
2)	In addition, download EHS Workbook from http://www.ehs.pitt.edu/biosafety/biochemreg.htm
3)	Complete the documents as thoroughly and accurately as possible. If you need any assistance, please contact the IACUC Office, IACUC Chair, or IACUC Director.
4)	Email the completed IACUC Protocol Form to iacuc@pitt.edu.
5)	Email the completed EHS Workbook to BioSafe@ehs.pitt.edu
6)	Your submission should be acknowledged within 5 working days. If it is not, please contact the IACUC Office (412-383-2008), as it could have been lost in cyberspace.
7)	In approximately 2 weeks, you will be emailed questions and concerns that the IACUC has about your protocol. EHS will independently contact you about biosafety issues.
8)	Address the concerns as thoroughly as possible, highlight the modifications, and return the modified forms to IACUC and/or EHS. The IACUC also requires that you indicate how you addressed each question.
9)	In about 2 weeks, expect either an approval letter or further communications from the IACUC Office.

Protocol Modifications:

1)	Download form from http://www.iacuc.pitt.edu/Forms.asp.
2)	Complete and send to the IACUC as for a new submission.
3)	The IACUC has the purview of requesting a new protocol submission if the requested modification is too substantial.

Training Requirements:

1)	All animal research personnel must complete the Research Integrity and Use of Laboratory Animals in Research and Teaching modules at the following website: http://cme.hs.pitt.edu. Click on the "Responsible Conduct of Research Folder" to find these modules.
2)	Investigators employing rodents in their teaching or research program must also complete the Small Animals Research and Training module on the same web site.
3)	Investigators employing large animals or nonhuman primates in their research program require additional videotape training. To arrange for a video, contact the IACUC Training Coordinator at 412-383-1737 (cursija@upmc.edu). Note: this training should be available on the web in 2007.
4)	The IACUC additionally requires that individuals listed on protocols complete the training and medical surveillance requirements of the Environmental Health and Safety Department (see http://www.ehs.pitt.edu/AnimalUsers/AnimalUsers.htm). These requirements include enrollment in the University's medical surveillance program for animal users, known as the Animal Exposure Surveillance Program, and the completion of training sessions that are dependent on the hazards involved with each particular study. Contact the Environmental Health and Safety Department (e-mail: safety@ehs.pitt.edu) for more information.

Grant Review Program

1)	For NIH Grants only, the IACUC must review your grant and assure the proposed work is described in approved IACUC protocols before funding is released.
2)	Once you have received a fundable score, complete the IACUC Grant Review Form (available from http://www.iacuc.pitt.edu/Forms.asp).
3)	Send this form and an electronic copy of the methods section of your grant to iacuc@pitt.edu.
4)	You will be required to submit additional protocols such that all experiments proposed in the NIH grant have been approved through the IACUC review process.

Common Issues that Delay Protocol Approval

1)	Not all personnel listed on the protocol have completed mandated training and EHS requirements
2)	The protocol is not clearly written, so that it is understandable to reviewers.
3)	The number of animals requested is not adequately justified, or animal numbers are inconsistent in different sections of the protocol.
4)	Pain and distress categories are not appropriate.
5)	For large animal protocols, the “Search for Alternatives” is not conducted appropriately (2 databases must be consulted and narratives must be clearly based on the literature uncovered during the search, NOT ANECDOTAL INFORMATION).

Common Compliance Problems

1)	Protocol approval lapses (note: you will receive monthly reminders from the IACUC beginning 90 days before protocol expiration). Every year you will be required to submit a short Annual Renewal Form (sent to you from IACUC Office with renewal reminder). Every 3 years, a new protocol submission is needed.
2)	Personnel begin working with animals prior to completing required training, and being added to a protocol via submission of a Protocol Modification Form.
3)	Procedures on animals deviate from those described in the protocol (note: to make changes to procedures, all that is required is submission of a Protocol Modification Form).
4)	Animals are taken from housing areas to use sites that are not listed in the protocol.
5)	Animals are maintained in a use area > 12 hours without approval from the IACUC or without following the correct procedures (see Approved Investigator-Managed Use Sites and Housing Areas policy at: http://www.iacuc.pitt.edu/policies.asp).

HELP IS AVAILABLE

Frank Jenkins, Ph.D., IACUC Chair	412-623-3233	fjenkins@pitt.edu
Ed Kennah, Ph.D., IACUC Office Director	412-383-2014	ekennah@pitt.edu
IACUC Office	412-383-2008	iacuc@pitt.edu

IACUC Web Site Search