In 2009, the Office of Animal Research Oversight (OARO) was established following dissolution of the Office for Protection of Research Subjects. With the creation of OARO, the ARC administrative staff separated from our human subjects oversight colleagues to focus on service to the following audiences: the public, by upholding the highest legal and ethical standards of animal care; the University, … Read More
NEW POLICY: Use of AAV Vectors in Rodents
The IBC has developed a new policy titled Use of Replication-Defective Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors in Rodents. This policy addresses the risk of recombinant DNA shed into the bedding of rodents following delivery of recombinant AAV vectors and how that bedding/caging should be handled. Below are the main points from this policy: This policy only applies to replication-defective AAV vectors that … Read More
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: IBC Amendments
Since the October 2015 launch of the IBC online system, SafetyNet, the IBC has continued to accept a limited number of amendment applications for change in personnel using the old registration forms. Effective January 1, 2017, we will no longer accept or process these amendments; as such, all changes to your IBC registration must be submitted through SafetyNet via your … Read More
Deadline for December IBC Meeting
Due to activities related to ORA’s upcoming move from the Kinross Building to 10889 Wilshire Blvd, the IBC online system, SafetyNet, will be unavailable from Friday, December 2, 2016 at 5:00PM to Monday, December 5, 2016 at 5:00AM. The last IBC meeting of 2016 will be held on December 15, 2016 and the deadline for that meeting is Monday, December … Read More
IBC Policy on Glass Pipette Usage
The IBC has reviewed a number of recent injuries/exposures involving broken glass pipettes in laboratories. Per the BSL2 standard microbiological practices described in the CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL, 5th edition), “Plastic ware should be substituted for glassware whenever possible”. As such, the Committee has determined that glass Pasteur pipettes must be eliminated from ≥ BSL-2 laboratories, … Read More
Change in RAC Review for Human Gene Transfer (HGT) Studies
The latest version of the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules changes the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) review process for human gene transfer (HGT) studies. RAC review was previously required for all HGT studies. The UCLA Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) also required submission of RAC documentation prior to … Read More
Zika Virus Research at UCLA
The UCLA Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) has developed the attached guidance document to address emerging health and safety concerns associated with Zika virus research being conducted at UCLA. The IBC has conducted a risk assessment and has determined that working with Zika virus is similar to working with other enveloped viruses that are not transmitted by the aerosol route, such … Read More
Revisions to the NIH Guidelines Related to HGT Studies
Effective April 27, 2016, the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines) has been revised to update the procedures for review of human gene transfer trials. A version of the April 2016 NIH Guidelines can now be found at https://osp.od.nih.gov/biotechnology/nih-guidelines/. Summary of Changes to the NIH Guidelines: IBC Review of Informed Consent Forms: The … Read More
Office of Research Administration (ORA) 2015-2016 Winter Holiday Closure
The Office Research Administration (ORA) will observe UCLA’s 2015-2016 Winter Holiday Closure. ORA will be closed beginning Thursday, December 24, 2015 and will reopen on Monday, January 4, 2016. Please be advised that the Chancellor’s Animal Research Committee (ARC) and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) will not conduct business during the closure. As such, ORA staff will not process ARC or … Read More
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: New IBC System (SafetyNet) Launch
After several months of working with multiple stakeholder groups, we are pleased to announce the launch of the new IBC online system, SafetyNet. This system will replace Forms 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 that were previously used for registration of hazardous biological material and recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids. You can access the system at http://safetynet.research.ucla.edu using your UCLA … Read More