IACUC Policies

The IACUC is responsible for reviewing and enforcing policies on all aspects of Animal Care and Use at the College. These policies have been developed in accordance with the guidelines of the governmental agencies that regulate institutional animal care and use programs. Failure to follow these policies can result in a protocol suspension or can prevent protocol approval.

  1. Policy on User Training
  2. Policy on Health Screening/Occupational Health and Safety
  3. Policy on Vertebrate Animal use in Teaching
  4. Policy on Visiting Research Personnel
  5. Policy on Receiving Animal Tissues from off-campus
  6. Policy on Transportation of Animals
  7. Policy on Reporting Concerns About Animal Use

User Training

All research personnel, including PIs and staff, who use vertebrate animals for research or teaching, must fulfill the following training requirements prior to any contact with vertebrate animals:

  • Attend a policy/facility orientation session
  • Receive  hands-on training from the animal facility director and/or the consulting veterinarian if they have less than one year of experience working with the species on their protocol
  • Have a current IACUC approved protocol
     

Health Screening / Occupational Health and Safety

All research or teaching personnel who will have contact with live vertebrate animals at CCNY must receive prior clearance from the Wellness and Counseling center. An "Animal Contact Surveillance Form" must be filled out and submitted to the Wellness and counseling center. Approval must be granted prior to contact with animals.
 

Vertebrate Animal Use in Teaching

Course directors are required to maintain approved IACUC protocol for the use of vertebrate animals in teaching laboratories. All permanent City College faculty and staff who participate in a course where vertebrate animals are used must meet the requirement listed under the Policy on User Training.

It is not necessary for new laboratory instructors to receive training unless specified by the IACUC at the time of protocol approval. In most cases, the course director is responsible for providing training to all teaching personnel prior to the use of animals in the laboratory. This training should take place in a session arranged for that purpose, in advance of student laboratory sessions. The course director should submit to the facility manager a list of his/her teaching staff at the beginning of each term.

In each student laboratory session, it is the responsibly of the laboratory instructor to train students who will be handling animals before they begin an experiment. Where possible, experiments should be designed in such a way that one student can be designated as the animal handler. The instructor should gather all of the animal handlers for a training session before experiments begin.

Visiting Research Personnel

Visiting scientists or students are required to have health screening and training specific to the work they do at the College. If they are coming form another facility where they have passed health screening, they need only provide documentation, and it will be accepted as long as it is comparable to our own requirements. This will be determined by the Wellness and Counseling Center. A month's lead-time should be allowed to make sure this requirement is met before the visitor arrives.

Visitors who have less than one year of experience doing the kind of work they will do at the College must provide documentation that they have had comparable training at their home institution.

Visitors will be required to have a brief orientation session with the facilities manager prior to beginning work at the College. This session will introduce them to the facility and to any special procedures relevant to their work, such as the SOP for the barrier facility.
 

Receiving Animal Tissues

Animal derived tissues that are obtained from animals at another facility must receive approval by the IACUC. At a minimum, this requires documentation of a currently approved IACUC protocol at the institution from which the material comes, and may be limited. Investigators should consult with the IACUC about what is required.
 

Transportation of Animals

Transport of all animals outside of the main facility must follow the ACF-approved animal transport SOP. The freight elevator should be used for the transport of all vertebrate animals between floors of the Marshak Building. In cases when the freight elevator is out of service, animals may be transported using the stairs or via a passenger elevator that has been designated for use by security, until the freight elevator is back in service. 

Last Updated: 01/22/2024 12:09