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    Animal Subjects in Research

    Ensuring Ethical and Responsible Use of Animals in Research and Teaching

    A student feeding sheepThe Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is a federally mandated committee composed of scientists, veterinarians, non-scientists, and community representatives. Its purpose is to review, approve, and monitor all activities involving the use of vertebrate animals to ensure they are ethically and scientifically justified. 

    The IACUC plays a critical role in upholding the ethical and humane treatment of animals used in research, teaching, and testing at Tennessee Tech University. In compliance with federal regulations and university policy, the IACUC oversees all aspects of the institution’s animal care and use program to ensure that animals are treated with compassion, respect, and in accordance with the highest standards of care.

    All research, teaching, or testing activities involving live vertebrate animals must be reviewed and approved by the IACUC before any work begins. This includes new studies, ongoing projects with modifications, and any teaching exercises involving animal use. 

    Animals may not be procured until the application has been approved by the IACUC. Research involving animals may not begin until the PI is notified in writing that the application has been approved. 

    To contact the IACUC, please email IACUC@tntech.edu. If you have any questions or concerns about animal care, use, and welfare at Tennessee Tech facilities, please reach out to the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance at ResearchCompliance@tntech.edu.

     

    • Application Review Process

      Application Review Process

      All research, teaching, or testing activities involving live vertebrate animals must be reviewed and approved by the IACUC before any work begins. This includes new studies, ongoing projects with modifications, and any teaching exercises involving animal use.

      Animals may not be procured until the application has been approved by the IACUC. Research involving animals may not begin until the PI is notified in writing that the application has been approved. Only those persons listed on the application are authorized access to the animal facilities. Additions or substitutions to this list require an application amendment.

      The application review process is as follows:

      1. Make sure that your CITI training is up to date prior to submitting your application. All applicants must complete the following CITI training courses:

        1. “Biomedical Responsible Research of Conduct”

        2. “PIs and Faculty Researchers” + electives specific to your research interests

      2. The principal investigator conducting research or teaching involving live animals shall submit the Application for Use of Animals in Teaching or Research electronically to the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance at IACUC@tntech.edu.  

      3. If the application is complete, the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance will forward the application to the IACUC chair for review. 

      4. Upon review, the IACUC chair will forward the application to the committee and place it as an item on the agenda to be reviewed at the next IACUC meeting. IACUC meetings are held in September, October, and November in the fall semester, and January, February, March, and May in the spring semester.

      5. During the IACUC meeting, the applications are discussed and any concerns are noted. 

      6. The action of the committee will be sent in writing to the PI or AD.

      7. If the application is given unconditional approval, in addition to the committee notifying the PI in writing, a memorandum will be sent to the funding agency, if appropriate, letting them know of the approval.

      8. If an application is given conditional approval, the committee will notify the PI in writing stating clearly what the conditions are. The PI will be given a time limit for meeting or removing the conditions and returning written verification that the conditions have been met or removed.

      9. Full approval of the committee must be obtained before the proposed use of animals is permitted to begin.

      10. It is the prerogative of the committee to (a) approve the application as presented or unconditionally, (b) approve the application with stipulations or conditionally, or (c) disapprove the application completely.

      If an applicant wishes to discuss any part of the process or is unhappy about the committee's decision, the committee stands ready and willing for dialogue and understanding. Send an email to IACUC@tntech.edu to make an appointment with the committee or committee representative or member.

    • Forms

      Forms

      All forms must be submitted electronically to IACUC@tntech.edu. (Additional forms will be available soon. Please contact us at IACUC@tntech.edu if you need information that is not available on this page.)

    • Training and Resources

      Required Training

      Before applying for grants that involve the use of animals in research, testing, and training, and before filing an application with the IACUC to undertake animal care research, researchers must complete and pass the following CITI training:

      o   “Biomedical Responsible Research of Conduct”

      o   “PIs and Faculty Researchers” + electives specific to your research

      The following electives are currently available:

        • Frogs, Toads or other Amphibians

        • Mice Family: Muridae Cricetidae

        • Rats Genus: Rattus

        • Fish

        • Zebrafish

        • Reptiles

      Please click here for instructions on how to access the training.

      Helpful Resources

       

     

     

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