INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEE (IACUC)

The Institional Animal Care and Use Committee is responsible for reviewing research involving animal subjects. All researchers working with animal subjects are required to submit applications to the IACUC.

Mission, Purpose, and Goals
The mission of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is to promote and safeguard research activity that involves animals within the academic community. The IACUC is a University committee composed of faculty members who are appointed by the institution, a veterinarian, and a community representative. Click here for a list of current IACUC members. The Committee is responsible for reviewing all activities involving the use of vertebrate animals , regardless of the source of funding for the activity. The following are the goals of the IACUC:

1. To promote quality research and scholarship
2. To evaluate and review all research activities involving the use of vertebrate animals and make recommendations regarding these studies
3. To offer assistance in educating the campus as to the requirements of the protection of animals

Application Procedures
All research and teaching projects involving the use of animals must be reviewed and approved by the IACUC prior to the beginning of the activity. Applications for IACUC approval must be submitted for review using the EKU Animal Care and Use Application form. Ten (10) copies of the completed application must be submitted to Sponsored Programs, Jones 414, Coates CPO 20.

If, based on the information provided on the Animal Use Confirmation form, members of the IACUC agree that the project conforms to current guidelines, the Chair of the Committee will provide a letter indicating that the project has been reviewed and approved. If, however, members of the IACUC believe that a project does not conform to current guidelines, the applicant will be so advised by the Chair of the Committee and will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit the application for review.

Application Forms
The application form and all attachments forms are dynamic pdf files and can be filled out online, printed (or saved), and submitted to the IACUC for approval. In order to fill these forms out online, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 or above. Please view all attachment documents, complete those that relate to your specific needs, and attach them to the Animal Care and Use Application.

• EKU Animal Care and Use Application
• Animal Experimentation Involving Hazardous Agents Attachment
• Animal Experimentation Involving Physical Restraint or Stress Attachment
• Animal Expermentation Involving Surgical Procedures Attachment
• Animal Care and Use Continuation Review Form
• EKU Animal Care and Use Independent Student Research Project Protocol Form

Resources
The following links provide guidance on federal regulations governing the use of animals in research and teaching activities:

• The Animal Welfare Act
• The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
• Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)
• United States Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training
• United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare Information Center
• Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia (2000)
• Report of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine on Rodent Euthanasia (2005)
• Guidelines for Use of Live Amphibians and Reptiles in Field and Laboratory Research (2004)
• Guidelines for the use of Fishes in Research (2004) 

Current animal care and use guidelines for studies involving specific animal groups are available for review in the office of the Department of Biological Sciences (Moore 235) and in the following publications:

• American Ornithologists' Union: Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research
• American Society of Mammalogists: Guidelines for the Capture, Handling, and Care of Mammals
• Pough, F.H. 1991. Recommendations for the care of amphibians and reptiles in academic institutions. Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources. 33 (4):S5-S21.