Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC)

Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee Overview

Researchers/Instructors wishing to use living animals for research or instruction, must be familiar with the pertinent CMU procedures and coordinate with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, or IACUC.

IACUC is responsible for;

ensuring compliance by CMU personnel and its facilities with federal regulations and national standards regarding the use of animals in research or education;
review and prior approval for all activities involving animals, either at CMU facilities or in the field under CMU direction;
regular inspections and reviews of the University’s animal program and facilities.

Animal research conducted on CMU’s campus will require an IACUC Review. The review process should take approximately 1-2 weeks.

NOTE: IACUC is authorized to suspend any activity involving the use of animals that is not being conducted according to accepted standards, applicable laws, regulations, and/or institutional policies.

IACUC Monthly Meetings

Tentative schedule:

IACUC will meet on the third Wednesday of each month.

All vertebrate animals used for research or teaching must be assigned to a USDA pain and distress category on the protocol under which they are used. Procedures that could cause pain or distress in humans should be assumed to cause pain or distress in other animals.
If multiple procedures will be performed on an animal, the animal is placed in the category appropriate for the most painful/distressful procedure. One animal cannot be placed in multiple categories.
Federal law requires that institutions that use animals in research and teaching have an Attending veterinarian who shall provide adequate veterinary care to its animals in compliance with the regulations. Programs of veterinary care must be described in writing to regulatory agencies, and there are specific record-keeping requirements.
Adequate veterinary care consists of programs for preventative medicine; surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, and control of disease, including zoonosis control; management of protocol-associated disease, disability, or other sequelae; anesthesia and analgesia; surgery and postsurgical care; assessment of animal well-being and euthanasia. Although the Attending Veterinarian is responsible for overseeing the care and use of animals and for ensuring that adequate veterinary care is provided, elements of the program can be delegated to other veterinarians or animal care staff.
Protocol modifications are reviewed within 5 business days. Requests for protocol renewals are usually responded to within 5 business days of submission.

CMU adheres to the policies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and National Institute of Health (NIH) for the humane care and use of laboratory animals (see Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals).

Note: See steps for completing protocol forms below.

Appendices

Steps for Successfully Completing Protocol Forms

	Do not complete protocol forms in your web-browser. Download the form to your desktop before starting.
	After you have attached documents to the protocol, you can view, delete or save them by clicking the paperclip icon on the left side navigation of the fillable PDF.
	Use the Save icon to save the protocol as a fillable PDF file. Please do not "Print to PDF" or scan a hard copy of the protocol form.
	Please use electronic signatures (i.e., Digital ID) when signing the protocol forms.

Working with the IACUC Course
Working with animals in biomedical research - refresher course
Species-specific course

Ms. Karla Nephew - Testing Center - Chair (No expiration)
Dr. Carrie McVean, DVM - Department of Biological Sciences - Attending Veterinarian (No expiration)
Ms. Christine Hein, MS, JD - WCCC (1/2023)
Mr. Ben Knapton, DVM Candidate - WCCC (1/2023)
Dr. Anneke Moresco, DVM - WCCC (7/2024)
Dr. Johanna Varner - Department of Biological Sciences (7/2025)

Mailing Address:

Colorado Mesa University
1100 North Avenue
Grand Junction, CO 81501-3122

Email: [email protected]