When do I submit an IACUC application?

Activities That Require IACUC Approval

Research and Teaching Activities

• Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval is required before conducting research, testing and teaching activities involving vertebrate animals if ANY of the following categories apply:
  Activities are to be conducted:
  • With animals owned or leased by the University of West Florida (UWF).
  • On property owned, leased, or managed by UWF.
  • With free-living vertebrate wildlife if studies involve more than unobtrusive observation of animals in their natural habitats. Examples include invasive studies and studies with the potential to cause harm or materially alter the behavior of the animals.
  • By UWF students or UWF employees in their official roles as faculty or staff members.
  • Using internal or external funds administered through the University of West Florida.
• Teaching, testing and research activities, including clinical trials, conducted with privately-owned animals must be reviewed by the IACUC.
• Research or teaching conducted in collaboration with another institution or organization, including commercial entities, must be approved by an IACUC. When a protocol has been reviewed and approved by another institution’s IACUC, the UWF IACUC may not require additional review and approval. However, the principal investigator (PI) must inform the UWF IACUC of the activity, and the UWF IACUC must have documentation of IACUC approval from the collaborating institution before an acceptance decision can be made.

Animal Tissues

As per OLAW, the use of dead animals or parts of animals does not require IACUC approval unless the activity involves (1) euthanizing animals for the purpose of obtaining or using their tissues or other materials, or (2) project-specific antemortem manipulation of animals prior to killing them. If either circumstance is applicable to the acquisition of dead animals, body parts or tissues, prior IACUC protocol review and approval are required.

Examples of situations that do not require an IACUC protocol include the use of:

• Unused or discarded carcasses when the recipient has no influence over the timing or method of euthanasia.
• Unused or discarded clinical samples.Slaughterhouse tissues when the animal was not slaughtered specifically for the activity.
• Archival tissues from tissue banks, museum collections, or similar sources.

Antibodies

Some antibodies, known commonly as “off the shelf” antibodies, are produced using manufacturing methods that do not involve living animals. Purchase of these agents from medical supply vendors does not require IACUC oversight.

Production of Custom Antibodies

When an agent (e.g., antigen intended to elicit an immune response) is injected into a living animal (e.g., mouse, rabbit, or guinea pig) and blood or other fluids are later collected from which antibodies are derived. Often such antibodies are purchased from a contract laboratory; in these cases, the contract laboratory typically has its own animal care program/IACUC oversight, so UWF IACUC oversight is not usually required.

However, if you wish to use a contract laboratory that does NOT have its own IACUC oversight/animal care program, then UWF IACUC oversight is required and an IACUC application will need to be submitted.

If you are not sure if your proposed animal use activity requires IACUC approval, please call the UWF IACUC Office at 850.474.3484 or e-mail Natalie Mead.