The Hendrix College Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
oversees the use of all animals in research and teaching. The IACUC’s mission
is to ensure the humane treatment of animals and to oversee compliance with
federal regulations (the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and
Use of Laboratory Animals).
This is accomplished in these ways:
- The IACUC reviews semiannually Hendrix College’s
program for the humane care and use of animals;
- The IACUC inspects semiannually Hendrix
College’s animal facilities;
- The IACUC prepares reports to the Provost of its
evaluations;
- The IACUC reviews animal welfare concerns;
- The IACUC makes recommendations to the Provost
on any aspect of the animal program, facilities, or personnel (student,
researchers, instructors, technician and faculty) training;
- The IACUC reviews and approves those components
of PHS- conducted or supported activities related to the care and use of
animals;
- The IACUC reviews and approves proposed
significant changes to the use of animals in ongoing activities; and
- The IACUC is authorized to suspend an activity
involving animals.
Hendrix IACUC Members
- Dr.
Andres Caro, Chair
- Dr.
Maureen McClung, Scientific member
- Dr.
James Dow, Nonscientific member
- Dr.
Paul Jenkins, Veterinarian member
- Mrs.
Amy Ferdowsian, Nonaffiliated member
The committee contact address is: IACUC@hendrix.edu.
Guidance on Activities Requiring IACUC Approval
Animal
tissues/products collected from dead animals:
There are three options for researchers to obtain animal tissues and
products (blood, plasma, cells, etc.) for their research/teaching activities:
- Sharing between labs,
- Purchasing from reputable vendors, or
- Submitting a Hendrix-IACUC protocol to be
reviewed and approve.
– Obtaining tissues
from animals that are already euthanized for another lab’s research/teaching
purpose (under their approved IACUC protocol) does not require additional IACUC
oversight
– If
euthanasia/procedures are performed on another lab’s animal specifically for
you while it is alive, then this activity requires IACUC oversight.|
– Animal parts
obtained from meat-packing facilities do not require IACUC review and approval,
because the animal has been killed prior to collection of the discarded
tissues. A business may act as a broker or go-between, procuring such tissues
from slaughterhouses or other sources – However, care must be taken when using
such services to ensure that live animals are not euthanized specifically to
fill your animal tissue order. Animals that are obtained alive and then
euthanized for tissue harvest require IACUC oversight to ensure humane
treatment.
– If you're purchasing
"on demand" fresh tissue from a vendor, then you must verify that the
company is compliant with federal regulations. If you're unable to verify a
vendor's compliance with federal regulations, then you cannot purchase from that
vendor.
– Alternatively, you
can submit a Hendrix-IACUC protocol for review and approval, to conduct tissue
collection from live animals at Hendrix College.
• Field or wildlife
studies: Studies that involve unobtrusive observation of animals in their
natural habitats do not require IACUC oversight. If the study has a potential
to cause harm or materially alter the behavior of the animals, then IACUC
oversight is required.
• Invertebrates:
Invertebrates are animals without a backbone or bony skeleton. Examples include
insects, worms, mollusks, etc. The use of invertebrates in research or teaching
activities does not require IACUC oversight.
Other uses of
animals:
- Use of privately-owned pets as models in a live
art class – no IACUC oversight required.
- Study of the interaction between people and
registered therapy dogs – no IACUC oversight required. However, if data is
collected directly from the dogs (e.g., blood samples from the dogs to test
stress hormones), then IACUC oversight is required.
- Observational study of insect behavior in the
presence or absence of birds – no IACUC oversight is required for the insect
work (insects are not vertebrate animals) but any manipulations or data
collection conducted on the birds would require IACUC oversight.
Please complete and submit this form to the IACUC for a determination of whether the proposed
activities require committee review.
Planning and Timelines
The IACUC will only
review proposals and amendments with major procedural revisions turned in
during Weeks 1-13 of each semester. So, if you
intend to do research over a winter or summer break, be proactive about
submitting research proposals early.
It typically takes 5-10 business days for an initial review
to be conducted, at which point
changes or additional information may be requested and a re-review may need to
be conducted. It is therefore imperative that you request review in plenty of
time to go through this process before the start date of your research.
Submitting IACUC Protocols
All use of animals in research or teaching must
be approved by the IACUC. If you have a project that you want to be reviewed,
you must complete the most recent IACUC Protocol form, available below.
Completed forms should be submitted electronically via email
(IACUC@hendrix.edu). Questions or concerns during the process can be sent to
the IACUC Chair.
Related Document: IACUC
Application Form
Ethics Training and Health and
Safety Forms
The IACUC
requires that students, instructors, technicians, and faculty who will contact,
use, or care for animals as part of their research or teaching must complete
online research ethics training through the National Institutes of Health
Animal Care and Use Training course.
NOTE: The NIH training course replaces CITI training. If
you previously completed CITI training through Hendrix College within the last
3 years, you DO NOT have to complete the NIH course. Instead, please indicate
your prior completion on your protocol or amendment form and submit your
certificates of completion
In addition, all animal users and
care providers must complete the Hendrix Health
Questionnaire and Release forms and Occupational Health and Safety form,
located below. Completion of these forms requires documentation
of a recent tetanus vaccination and an appointment with the campus nurse for
approval to work with animals. Additional details can be found in the IACUC
Animal Users Training Guide.
Related Documents:
Post-Approval IACUC
Monitoring
The IACUC’s Student Animal Care Supervisors inspect and report on animal
facilities weekly to ensure animal welfare and compliance with both federal
regulations and approved procedures. In addition, the IACUC committee performs
semi-annual inspections of all animals, housing, and animal use facilities.
IACUC Amendments to Approved Protocols
If there are any changes to a research proposal,
researchers will need to complete and submit the IACUC amendment form to
request approval for these changes. Changes that require approval include new
procedures to be performed, new species and/or an increase in the number of
animals to be used, new location of housing or procedures, or the addition of
new personnel. These changes may not be implemented until they are approved by
the IACUC.
Note: The
IACUC will only review amendments with major procedural revisions turned in
during Weeks 1-13 of each semester.
Related
Document: IACUC Amendment form
2019-20
IACUC
Protocol Renewal
Protocol approval lasts for three
years from the date on your IACUC protocol approval letter. If you wish
to continue your research project beyond its original approval expiration date, submit a completed protocol form and select
Continuation under protocol status. Continuation protocols must be submitted
within 30 days of the project's expiration date. Please note that if the number
or species of animals used or any procedures have changed, then the protocol
form must be completed in its entirety, with modifications to your previous
protocol highlighted.
Related Document: IACUC
Application Form