Use of Animals in Research (IACUC)
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Description
The IACUC is composed of five faculty members, a staff veterinarian from the UNT Health Science Center, and one individual selected to represent the local community. The primary responsibility of the IACUC is to review all research protocols involving the use of live, vertebrate animals and to ensure that all personnel directly involved in animal research have received proper training in the use of laboratory animals. The committee meets at least three times per year to review all animal-related research and teaching proposals being submitted for funding or implementation. Before any live, vertebrate animals can be utilized for a project, an IACUC application form must be submitted to and approved by the IACUC.
Forms
- UNT Animal Use Protocol Application
- UNT Animal Care and Use Amendment
- IACUC Annual Review Form
- Medical History Questionnaire
CITI Animal Research Training
For each Animal Use Protocol Application, the Principal Investigator and each individual who will be interacting with any of the species covered by the protocol will need to complete the following:
- The CITI "Working with the IACUC" basic course for Investigators, Staff, and Students; and
- The CITI species-specific course for each species to be used in the protocol. CITI courses are available for: mice, rats, amphibians, fish, zebrafish and rabbits. Here are instructions on how to register for a CITI course at https://www.citiprogram.org. The CITI course completion certificates are valid for 5 years for UNT IACUC protocols.
Occupational Health Screening
Upon submission of a new Animal Use Protocol Application and once every year, the Principal Investigator and each individual interacting with live vertebrate animals or animal tissues will need to complete a "Medical History Questionnaire."
The completed and dated form must be placed in a sealed envelope with the individual's name and the Principal Investigator's name on the outside of the envelope and sent/delivered to the IACUC office along with the Animal Use Protocol Application. The IACUC staff will personally deliver the screening form(s) to the UNT Student Health and Wellness Center. One of the Center's physicians will review the form and advise the Principal Investigator if any concerns are identified with regard to the individual working with live vertebrate animals or animal tissues. Such communication will not include any information about the individual's health history or diagnoses but will be limited to communicating restrictions, inoculations needed or other recommendations regarding contact with animals or animal tissues.
Charges for Housing
Resources
The care and use of live, vertebrate animals in research at UNT is based on Federal regulations and guidelines including:
- Animal Welfare Act and Regulations
- Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, National Research Council
- Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), National Institutes of Health
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training
- U.S. Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
- American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines on Euthanasia (June 2013)
Reporting Suspected Animal Abuse
Any suspected abuse of live vertebrate animals used for research purposes on the UNT campus should be reported to:
- the Director of Research Compliance at 940-565-3941; or
- the UNT Office of Institutional Compliance at www.unt.edu/compliance
All such reports will be referred to the IACUC for review and, if warranted, an investigation to determine if corrective action is appropriate.
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