Category Archive

A series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) is now posted on the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) website. The information in the FAQs is updated and supersedes guidance previously published as articles in journals and magazines such as Contemporary Topics and Lab Animals. However, in many instances the previously published material provides additional information or elaboration, and is … Read More

The NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) has created a brochure intended to communicate to investigators their responsibilities under Public Health Service (PHS) Grants Policy and PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. What Investigators Need to Know About the Use of Animals provides a succinct resource for investigators to quickly grasp the main expectations and … Read More

The American Physiological Society (APS) announces the publication of a Resource Book for the Design of Animal Exercise Protocols. This book was developed by experts in the fields of exercise physiology and animal research models. It is intended for researchers, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs), and those involved with research oversight. The authoring committee, which was comprised of … Read More

In order to facilitate timely review of all animal applications, please note the following: SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS FOR REVIEW All applications require a Pre-Committee Review, except the following: Amendment applications to change PI, Co-Investigator, Personnel, Title, Funding, and/or Locations only All applications with experiments done entirely at another institution All Tissue Sharing applications that do not require live animals If … Read More

CONSIDERATION OF “THE 3 R’s” Background: Principle 3 of the U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training states that “animals selected for a procedure should be of an appropriate species and quality and the minimum number required to obtain valid results. Methods such as mathematical models, computer simulation, and in … Read More

On April 1, 2005, the Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Care and Use of Laboratory Animal Subjects between UCLA and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) was revised to eliminate the requirement for dual Animal Research Committee (ARC) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) review for most collaborative projects between UCLA and VAGLAHS. This change is applicable … Read More

PHS Policy IV.F.3 requires that the ARC, through the Institutional Official, promptly provide OLAW with a full explanation of the circumstances and actions taken with respect to: (a) any serious or continuing noncompliance with PHS Policy; (b) any serious deviation from the provisions of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals; or (c) any suspension of an … Read More

The ARC guidance on Estimating the Number of Animals has been revised to include resources that investigators may find helpful in determining animal numbers for their research applications.

Developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in conjunction with the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), this tutorial provides a step by step guide to the preparation of an application and covers such topics as considering alternatives, obtaining assurances and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval, Just-In-Time processes, NIH review of animal … Read More

In order to comply with the USDA Animal Welfare Act Regulations (AWARs) and the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy), all ARC protocols must specify and include a rationale for the number of animals that will be used in the study. In order to ensure that the number of animals is limited to that … Read More