Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
IACUC Charge
The UC Davis Policy on the Care and Use Animals in Teaching and Research provides that University practices for the procurement, housing, and care and use of animals must conform to: 1) the ILAR Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals; 2) the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching; 3) all regulations of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued by the USDA implementing the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) of 1966 and its amendments (9 CFR, Chapter 3); and 4) the Public Health Service’s Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. In addition, University policy requires that all facilities in which animals are housed, and programs associated with those facilities, must be accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC).
The campus is also obligated to file an Animal Welfare Assurance with the Public Health Service. This assurance requires review of the animal care and use portions of PHS funded proposals.
The Chancellor has delegated the responsibilities and authority of the Institutional Official (I.O.) to the Vice Chancellor for Administration. The I.O. is charged with establishment of an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), to assure complete and adequate review of animal facilities, laboratory/study areas, procedures, and animal care and use protocols. This authority is mandatory under the Health Research Extension Act (HREA) of 1985 and the AWA.
Membership:
The IACUC at UC Davis is a faculty-based committee. The members represent a wide variety of expertise. The Composition of the IACUC includes:
Do other institutions have IACUC's?
Every research facility in the United States has an IACUC if it conducts federally funded research using any live, vertebrate animal. Here are a few with web pages.