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IACUC Review Process
Submission and Review Process
Applications for the use of vertebrate animals and cephalopods in research, testing, or teaching must be submitted through CATS (Centralized Application Tracking System) IACUC.
All submissions will undergo a thorough pre-review by IACUC staff and other ancillary reviewers as appropriate. If the protocol involves surgery and/or procedures that may cause more than momentary pain or distress, the submission may be sent for veterinarian consult. Both the pre-review and veterinarian consult must be completed before the protocol can be sent to the IACUC for committee review and discussion.
Submissions that have completed pre-review and veterinarian consult by Friday at 5:00 p.m. will be sent to the entire committee for review. This committee review period is called Grace Period in the CATS IACUC system and lasts approximately 10 calendar days*. If a protocol is not called to Full Committee Review by any member of the IACUC during the Grace Period, the IACUC Chair assigns each protocol to a Designated Member Reviewer.
*A request to expedite this review timeframe along with justification for the request must be submitted to ORP by Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. and will be considered by the IACUC on a very limited basis.
Types of Protocol Submissions
New Protocol: a new application for the use of animals in research, testing, or teaching
Annual Review**: continuing review of an already approved protocol, to be submitted annually and approved within 365 calendar days of last approval date
Triennial Review**: per the PHS Policy, a complete de novo review that must occur after three years of approval
Amendment: modification to an already approved protocol
**At 90, 60, and 30 days prior to protocol expiration, Principal Investigators will receive automated reminders from the CATS IACUC protocol system of the need to complete a review submission or request to close the protocol.
Types of Review
Full Committee Review: review is conducted by all members of the IACUC at a convened meeting with a quorum of members present (meetings are held at least monthly)
Designated Member Review: a committee member is designated to serve as a representative of the IACUC to address committee questions and concerns with regards to the protocol application
Veterinary Verification and Consultation: most significant changes must be reviewed and approved by the IACUC through Designated Member Review or Full Committee Review, but some changes may be reviewed by a veterinarian following IACUC Policy 13
Administrative Review: some minor changes and reviews can be handled administratively by IACUC staff following internal standard operating procedures:
- A change in title
- A change in funding source
- A change in personnel
- A change in the animal source provided the new source is either from a PSU IACUC-approved protocol or from an approved vendor
- A change in animal strain/line will be reviewed and approved by the IACUC Administrator and an ARP Veterinarian
- A change in location for housing and use will be reviewed and approved by the IACUC Administrator and an ARP Veterinarian
- Reuse of animals previously used in experimental procedures will be reviewed and approved by an ARP Veterinarian (see IACUC Policy 11)
- A change in animal numbers (for non-USDA regulated species only) provided the change is 10% or less than the approved number since the last IACUC protocol review
- Custom antibody protocols (purchased from an outside source), preserved animal protocols, and observation protocols
Office for Research Protections
Address
110 Technology Center
200 Innovation Blvd.
University Park, PA 16803
The Office for Research Protections (ORP) ensures that research at the University is conducted in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines that protect human participants, animals, students, and personnel involved with research.