Why does the IACUC inspect laboratories where animals are used?
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is mandated by federal law (PHS Policy and USDA Animal Welfare Act) to review the Institution’s animal research program and its facilities (including individual laboratories where animals are taken) twice yearly. In performing this evaluation on a regular basis, the IACUC ensures that the well-being of the animals is being met and we are in compliance with Federal Regulations and Guidelines. Institutions are responsible for oversight of all animal-related activities regardless of how long or where the activity occurs. Satellite facilities (defined by PHS Policy as a containment outside a core or centrally managed area in which animals are housed for more than 24 hours) and areas where any form of surgical manipulations (minor, major, survival, non-survival) are performed must be inspected at least once every six months by the IACUC as part of the semiannual evaluation. PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals • Program Revi
