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IV 3.30 UMCES Policy on Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in Research and Graduate Studies

Download Policy IV 3.30

Vertebrate animal research policy endorsed by the Faculty Senate (5/26/95) and Administrative Council (6/7/95), and adopted by President Donald F. Boesch effective 1 July 1995. Policy revised by UMCES Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and adopted by President Donald F. Boesch effective 7/1/97.

  1. Purpose and Applicability
    1. The care and use of vertebrate animals in research at UMCES are conducted in full compliance with federal law under an Assurance filed with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), U.S. Public Health Service (PHS). This Assurance governs all activities involving vertebrate animals undertaken at any UMCES facility or under its auspices. Further, it is official UMCES policy that laboratory and manipulative experimental field studies of vertebrate animals are to be conducted only on finfish, amphibians, and reptiles.The UMCES faculty considers it important that students conducting dissertation research under its supervision become familiar with federal law, laboratory and field procedures recommended by various professional societies, and ethical considerations in animal research as part of their professional training. The policies in this section have been developed in response to this commitment.
  2. Institutional Policy – Faculty Research
    1. It is official UMCES policy that laboratory and manipulative experimental field studies of vertebrate animals are to be conducted on finfish, amphibians and reptiles.
      1. UMCES laboratory facilities may not be used in the conduct of any activities involving vertebrate animal subjects in violation of this policy.
      2. Any UMCES faculty member who desires to pursue laboratory or manipulative experimental field studies involving vertebrate animal subjects other than finfish must do so under the following conditions:
        1. The activity must be conducted under the auspices of an institution other than UMCES, and no physical activity involving vertebrate animals shall be conducted at any UMCES facility.
        2. If the activity is supported by an extramural grant or contract, the award, or portion thereof that supports the activity, shall not be administered by UMCES.
        3. All UMCES employees participating in the activity shall be governed by the vertebrate animal care and use policies of the institution under whose auspices

        and supervision the research is performed; if there are no such policies, no UMCES employees shall be allowed to participate in the activity.

    2. Subject to review, approval, and oversight by the UMCES Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee as established below, the following general activities involving vertebrate animal subjects other than finfish are permissible under this policy:
      1. Non—manipulative field observations of animal populations in their natural habitats; and reptiles.
      2. Capture and short—term restraint of individual animals for non—experimental purposes as required to obtain numeric data, provided that such capture and restraint involve a method and duration designed to minimize trauma and that such activities are directly supervised by a non—UMCES employee who is authorized to conduct such studies under the auspices of another organization.
      3. Studies of animal carcasses, parts, or by—products, provided that the taking of living animals was performed by a non— UMCES employee authorized to do so under the auspices of another institution and that UMCES funds were not used to support the taking of living animals.
      4. Holding and transport of injured animals for a short period of time as required to arrange and procure treatment or humane disposal by a qualified veterinarian or other individual authorized to do so.
    3. The President of UMCES shall be responsible for ensuring that all activities involving vertebrate animal subjects fully comply with all applicable federal, state, and University regulations, and with official institutional policy.
      1. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) shall be responsible for oversight of the UMCES animal program, facilities, and procedures.
      2. Detailed policies and procedures for compliance with applicable federal regulations are contained in the Assurance of Compliance with Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (“Assurance”) filed with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), U.S. Public Health Service (PHS).a. A copy of the current Assurance, as approved by the PHS, shall be posted on UMCES IACUC Website.
      3. The UMCES animal program shall be based on the provisions of Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Research Council) and on other applicabledocuments pertaining to finfish that have been adopted by the appropriate professional agencies. 1
      4. As provided in the Assurance, the IACUC has the authority to suspend temporarily any activity which is considered to be in violation of policy or otherwise not in compliance with acceptable practices under the UMCES animal program.
    4. A valid UMCES Collecting Permit shall enable the bearer to collect plants, animals, and to obtain environmental samples using any collection devices and methods permitted under applicable federal and state laws and the policies of UMCES and the University System of Maryland.
      1. The Collecting Permit does not supersede the need to obtain additional authorization in specific cases.
        1. The collection of rare or endangered species may require a special permit for this purpose.
        2. It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure that all relevant documents and permissions have been obtained and validated before embarking on any collecting activity.
      2. If a collecting activity involves more than one person, each individual must possess a valid UMCES Collecting Permit.a. A Collecting Permit is not required by student members of a class, provided that the collecting activity is part of a class exercise and is being carried out in the presence of an UMCES employee who is the course director and who possesses a valid Collecting Permit.
      3. All collecting shall be pertinent to the Center’s mission of research, education, and public service.
      4. A Collecting Permit is invalid without the signature of the individual to whom it is issued and the signature of the President of UMCES.
      5. Abuse of collecting privileges, including activities in violation of UMCES institutional policy for the humane care and use of vertebrate animals, shall result in revocation of the Collecting Permit and may be cause for further disciplinary or legal action.

        1 Examples of such documents include, but are not limited to, Guidelines for Use of Fishes in Field Research (1988) adopted by the American Society of Icthyologists and Herpetologists. American Fisheries Society, and American Institution of Fishery Research Biologists; and the most recent Report of the AVMS Panel on Euthanasia (J. Am. Vet. Assoc., 202:229—249, 1993).

  3. Institutional Policy – Graduate Student Research
    1. As set forth in, it is official UMCES policy that laboratory and manipulative experimental field studies of vertebrate animals are to be conducted only on finfish, amphibians, and reptiles.
      1. UMCES laboratory facilities may not be used in the conduct of any vertebrate animal research in violation of this policy.
      2. A student who desires to pursue research involving vertebrate animal subjects other than finfish, amphibians, or reptiles must do so under the following conditions:
        1. The research must be conducted under the auspices of an institution other than UMCES, and no physical activity involving vertebrate animals shall be conducted at any UMCES facility.
        2. An UMCES faculty member shall not be the sole thesis advisor; however, an UMCES faculty member may be a co—advisor with a qualified individual at the institution under whose auspices the research is performed.(c) The research shall fully comply with the vertebrate animal research policy of both the institution under whose auspices the research is being conducted and the University of Maryland institution at which the student is enrolled as a candidate for graduate degree.
    2. The UMCES Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) shall be responsible for developing vertebrate animal research protocol guidelines and for otherwise ensuring that student research complies with applicable federal regulations, including the Center’s Assurance filed with the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), and institutional policy.
      1. The Committee shall be composed of five (5) individuals, as follows:
        1. One faculty member from each UMCES Laboratory who shall be the Practicing Scientist representative on the UMCES Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
        2. One individual from outside of UMCES who shall be the Veterinarian on the IACUC.
        3. A Vice President who is responsible for coordinating graduate education at UMCES, who shall be an ex officio member of the IACUC.
    3. All student research projects involving vertebrate animal subjects shall be reported to and approved by the IACUC.
      1. The protocol for thesis research of each graduate student governed by this policy shall be reviewed in advance of the initiation of such research and receive formal approval by the student’s thesis advisor(s), the appropriate Laboratory Director, and by the IACUC.
        1. The protocol shall refer to compliance with UMCES research protocol guidelines wherever appropriate, and may attach standard operating procedures as have been developed by the appropriate research facility as approved by the IACUC.
          1. Any exceptions to UMCES institutional guidelines or standard operating procedures must be noted in the proposed protocol, fully explained, and justified.
        2. Any significant modifications of an approved research protocol must be submitted for IACUC approval prior to their implementation.
          1. Each year, a student must certify to the IACUC that his/her research protocol has not significantly deviated from that originally approved by the IACUC or, if such deviation is anticipated, the revised protocol must be submitted for IACUC approval.
        3. If an approved research protocol should extend for three (3) years without significant modification, the project will be subjected to a full review by the IACUC as specified for a faculty research project under the UMCES Assurance.
        4. A copy of the approved protocol shall be retained by the IACUC and shall be filed with the following:
          1. UMCES IACUC, which reserves the right under its authority to require modification of the protocol and/or to suspend the research at any time pending such modification;
          2. Office of the program or department in which the student is a candidate for degree;
          3. Graduate Program Office or equivalent administrative office in the degree—granting institution in which the student is enrolled;
          4. Graduate Student’s thesis advisor(s);
          5. Graduate Student.
        5. The IACUC shall retain a copy of the approved protocol for at least three (3) years after the date of award of degree.