ABOUT THE ANIMAL CARE AND USE PROGRAM

RESPONSIBILITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING ANIMAL SUBJECTS

| Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee | Principal Investigators / Staff |
| Clinical Veterinarians | University Administration |

Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee

The IACUC oversees all animal research and instruction at UCSF in order to ensure the ethical, regulatory, and policy mandates governing the use of animals in research and instruction are met. The Committee is comprised of at least 12 members, including at least one representative of the public, whose expertise and experience qualify them to oversee UCSF's animal program, facilities, and procedures. The Committee's charge is to:

• Review and approve the animal welfare aspects of all research and instruction at UCSF;
• Review UCSF's program for humane care and use of animals twice annually;
• Conduct semi-annual inspections on all UCSF animal facilities;
• Prepare and submit reports of its evaluations to the Chancellor;
• Make recommendations to the Vice Chancellor for Research regarding any aspect of UCSF's animal program, facilities, or personnel training;
• Suspend any activity involving animals, which is in violation of applicable regulations, policies, or procedures of an approved protocol.

Principal Investigators/Staff

Before initiating, modifying, or renewing any research project that uses animal subjects, Principal Investigators must submit an application to the Committee on Animals Research (IACUC) for review and approval. Principal investigators are also responsible for renewing their IACUC approvals on a yearly basis.

Principal investigators are responsible for assuring that everyone under their supervision involved in the care and use of laboratory animals is properly trained, is thoroughly knowledgeable about the details of the approved protocol , understands his or her obligation to comply with all applicable regulations and federal and institutional policies, and has signed the IACUC Protocol Personnel Signature Page.

Anyone who witnesses or has reliable information about non-compliance with a IACUC-approved protocol or an incident of mistreatment of animals should notify the Laboratory Animal Resource Center (LARC) veterinary staff or Director, the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee, or the office of the Executive Vice Chancellor.

To report incidents of non-compliance or mistreatment of animals, call the LARC at 476-1571, or the IACUC at 476-2197, or the Executive Vice Chancellor at 502-5677, or refer to the information on this website: IACUC Policy on Report and Follow-up of Animal Care and Use Concerns.

Clinical Veterinarians

Clinical veterinarians are responsible for:

• the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease in laboratory animals;
• advising investigators regarding the use of models for research projects, proper anesthetic techniques, and control of animal and human pathogens;
• conducting training programs for investigators, staff, and students in the proper care and use of animals.
• Reporting to the IACUC any serious or ongoing concerns regarding the care and use of animals.

Clinical veterinarians are authorized to terminate immediately any activity that is out of compliance with approved or accepted procedures or that poses an imminent threat to the welfare of a laboratory animal.

To inquire about acquisition, housing, or veterinary care of animals, or training in or assistance with experimental techniques, including anesthesia and analgesia, or for consultation in the planning of an experiment, call the Laboratory Animal Resource Center at 476-2204. You may also consult the LARC website at http://www.larc.ucsf.edu/.

University Administration

The Executive Vice Chancellor must assure the federal government on an annual basis that UCSF is in compliance with all provisions of the Animal Welfare Act, the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and the PHS Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

Through the Laboratory Animal Resource Center (LARC), UCSF provides administrative services for ordering, husbandry, and veterinary care for all animals, and an occupational health program for personnel who work in laboratory animal facilities or have frequent contact with laboratory animals.

University administration provides the resources to support the activities of the IACUC, maintain necessary records, and report as required on the status of the animal care and use program and the membership of the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee.

The University provides legal protection for members of the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee and to principal investigators granted approval to conduct such research who have met their obligations in good faith.

The Institutional Official (IO) must report to the NIH's Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) and the Animal Care section of the United States Department of Agriculture on the circumstances and actions taken in respect to:

• any serious or continuing protocol violation;
• any serious deviations from the provisions in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals; or
• suspension of any activity by the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee.

UCSF grants whistle-blowing protection to anyone who reports protocol violations or other acts of noncompliance.

Under the provisions of Freedom of Information Act and the California Public Records Act, the University is required, upon request, to release to the public details of any specific, funded research project.