FAQs
What does IACUC stand for?
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
What is an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee?
The IACUC is the committee charged with overseeing the care and use of laboratory animals for research, testing, and teaching, and for evaluating all aspects of the care and use program.
What laws govern animal care in research?
OHSU is bound by two federal mandates, namely the Animal Welfare Act and the Health Research Extension Act in implementing its animal care and use program.
What standards are applied to the OHSU animal care and use program?
Animal care and use program standards at OHSU are defined by the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and the Animal Welfare Act regulations.
How often does the IACUC perform inspections?
The IACUC evaluates OHSU's animal research program and inspects animal housing and use areas at least semi-annually.
What do I need to do to start animal research at OHSU?
The following must be completed in order to start using animals in research.
- Protocol Approval - contact the IACUC office for information and support (CWC): 503-494-8408 or email us at the CWC IACUC office; (WC): 503-690-5289 or email us at the WC office.
- Training - complete the relevant training modules in Big Brain and contact one of the Veterinarians in the Department of Comparative Medicine (DCM-C) or Division of Comparative Medicine-West campus for any other additional training to gain access to the animal facilities.
- Occupational Health - everyone working with animals must enroll by filling out this form (Occupational Health Questionnaire) and returning it to Employee Health, Mail code UHN89.
I have completed training but still cannot log into the eIACUC system. What should I do?
Contact the CWC IACUC office or call us at (503) 494-8408. On the West campus, send us an emailor call (503) 690-5289.
How do I create a study in the eIACUC system?
Please view our list of How-to Helpsheets that will get you started. Also, you are encouraged to contact the IACUC office CWC IACUC(503) 494-8408 or WC(503) 690-5289 and we will be able to provide considerable help and support.
What about using radiation, hazardous chemicals, and/or infectious agents/toxins, recombinant DNA or synthetic nucleic acid molecules with animals?
You will need approval for use of these agents before your IACUC protocol can be approved.
- Radiation - CWC: contact Environmental Health & Radiation Safety Office (EHRS); WC: contact West campus EHRS
- Hazardous chemicals - the IACUC office will initiate review of these agents by the Biosafety Officer
- Infectious agents/ toxins,recombinant DNA or synthetic nucleic acid molecules - contact the Institutional Biosafety Committee(IBC)
How long will the IACUC review process take?
The length of time needed for review will vary depending upon the complexity of the protocol or modification that is under consideration. However, on average, new protocols and 3-year renewals require approximately 6 weeks for approval while significant protocol modifications may take about 3 weeks. Minor protocol modifications which can be approved administratively sometimes take as little as 2-3 days. Please see the Review Procedures flowchart for an approximation of the time that will be needed.
What do all the acronyms mean?
Please see our acronyms page for reference.
What resources are there for IACUC education?
The OHSU IACUC offers educaiton courses on animal research from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science Learning Library.
