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Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
p: 617-287-5370
orsp@umb.edu

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

PHS Assurance A3383-01

What Investigators Need to Know About the Use of Animals

@LT WEB: the global clearinghouse for information on alternatives to animal testing

Federal regulations and guidance

Institutional Policies University policy on LATA training

Standard Operating Procedures IACUC Membership, Roles, and Responsibilities Prevention of Zoonotic Diseases Housing, Husbandry and Environmental Enrichment Guidelines for Laboratory Animals Guidelines for Rodent Aseptic Survival Surgery

AVMA guidelines on euthanasia

Training and education LATA CITI (coming soon) Guidelines on Clinical Signs for Rodents

IACUC submission forms

Mouse breeding suggestions, provided by the University of Michigan

Tissue Collection Protocol for Genetic Research, provided by the University of California-Davis

The University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) is a teaching and research institution which supports the responsible use of animals in research. UMass Boston holds an Assurance with the Public Health Service that articulates our compliance with all government agencies regulating the use of laboratory animals in research and teaching.  As an institution we adhere to the belief that the development of knowledge necessary for the improvement of health and well-being of humans, as well as other animals, requires in vivo experimentation with a wide variety of animal species.  We are proactively committed to the humane care and use of animals in research as well as the reduction and replacement of animals and the refinement of procedures in both teaching and research wherever possible.

All proposed research and teaching activities involving the use of vertebrate animals requires review and approval by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).  This includes the use of animals housed and maintained in approved University animal facilities as well as studies conducted on vertebrate animals in their natural settings.  Once approved by the IACUC, any proposed modifications to an approved protocol require further review and approval by the IACUC prior to implementation. 

In its review of proposed research activities involving animals the IACUC observes the principles articulated in the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resource Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals:

 

• Procedures should be designed and performed on the basis of relevance to human or animal health, advancement of knowledge, and/or the good of society.
• The appropriate species, quality, and number of animals should be used.
• Discomfort, distress, and pain should be avoided or minimized in concert with sound science.
• Appropriate sedation, analgesia, or anesthesia should be used.
• Humane and experimental end points should be established.
• Appropriate animal husbandry should be directed and performed by qualified persons.
• Experimentation on living animals should only be conducted by or under the close supervision of qualified and experienced persons.

Questions regarding the IACUC or the conduct of research using vertebrate animals may be directed to Kristen Kenny, IACUC administrator, at 617.287.5374 (kristen.kenny@umb.edu).