IACUC PROGRAM ON ANIMAL TISSUE SHARING

Policy

As part of UCSF's continuing commitment to reduce the number of animals used in research, and to make tight research budgets go as far as possible, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee has had in place for several years a Tissue Sharing Program. This program allows investigators to collect fresh tissue without euthanizing additional animals. The Committee office maintains a database system which can generate a listing of available animals being euthanized. The data needed includes information such as species, strain, ages, weight, and form of euthanasia.

Implementation

Tissue Donors

Investigators who must euthanize their animals for experimental requirements are encouraged to participate in this program by donating post-mortem tissue whenever possible. This is accomplished by completing Section R, "Tissue Sharing," of the IACUC Application to Use Vertebrate Animals in Research or Instruction. The information provided is then coded into the tissue-sharing database by the IACUC staff, so that investigators may later be contacted by persons wishing to use tissue.

In compliance with USDA requirements to track such tissue transfers, the donating investigator must complete the brief IACUC Animal Tissue Transfer Form. The Transfer Form must be signed by both the donating investigator and the requesting researcher, who each retain a copy. The original of the signed form is then forwarded to the IACUC office, Box 0962.

Tissue Recipients

Investigators who wish to receive tissue can participate in this program by collecting tissue from other investigators instead of euthanizing additional animals. Researchers who use tissues from animals euthanized by other investigators need not obtain IACUC approval for their research. Rather, they simply must complete the IACUC Tissue Sharing Request Form, and forward it to the IACUC office. The IACUC staff will then provide the researcher with the requested information, if it is available.

It is the recipients' responsibility to contact donors in order to arrange details of tissue collection, and to ensure that the IACUC Animal Tissue Transfer Form is correctly completed, signed, copied and forwarded to the IACUC office (see above).

The IACUC strongly encourages faculty to participate in tissue sharing. This program can help the University reduce the number of animals used in research as well as provide tissue at no cost to participating investigators.