Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) - Minneapolis VA Health Care System
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Minneapolis VA Health Care System

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Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

The Minneapolis VA Health Care System Animal Care and Use Program supports researchers in their pursuit of caring for veterans and their families through high-quality research that improves the lives of the men and women who are America’s veterans.

The following outlines processes investigators will use as they conduct research in the MVAHCS and contains links to important forms.

Creating New ACORP | Annual Renewal of ACORP | 3-year Renewal of ACORP | Amendments to ACORP | FORMS

1. Creating a new Animal Component of Research Protocol (ACORP)

Pre-review Process

  1. Use the most current version of the ACORP for your new research project iniRIS.
  2. To be considered at the next meeting, submit the proposed ACORP to the veterinary medical officer (VMO) for a VA-required veterinary pre-review. This should be received by the veterinarian at least nine business days prior to the submission deadline for the committee, which in turn is seven business days prior to the committee meeting. Unless otherwise specified, the MVAHCS IACUC meets on the third Thursday of the month.
  3. Once you get the pre-review, make edits in iRIS as applicable and resubmit.

Review Process

  1. The committee will review the ACORP and generate a list of modifications required prior to approval. These will be sent to you following the meeting. Address the modifications and return the ACORP.
  2. A subcommittee of the IACUC will review your responses and will either grant approval or require further modifications. Once final approval is obtained by all relevant committees (such as Safety), an Authorization to Conduct Research form (or ACR) is created and sent to you, the PI. ONLY once you have received an ACR do you have permission to conduct the research in the ACORP.

2. Annual renewal of a previously approved ACORP

  1. Two months prior to the date the IACUC approved your ACORP (as listed on your ACR as the date of final IACUC approval) you will receive notification to perform an annual update. Follow the instructions to fill out the provided form and supply a brief abstract summarizing work accomplished. Submit your completed documents by the submission deadline (seven business days prior to the date of the IACUC meeting). The annual renewal will be reviewed at the next scheduled IACUC meeting. You will receive notification by the IACUC coordinator when this process is complete.
  2. You must complete this annually per VA Handbook 1200.5. Research may continue while this update is occurring, however if the annual update process is not complete within 30 days of your IACUC approval date as listed on your ACR, your animal work under that protocol will be halted (your animals will be placed on a holding protocol) until the process is completed.

3. Three-year renewal of a previously approved ACORP

  1. Four months prior to the three-year anniversary of the date the IACUC approved your ACORP (as listed on your ACR), you will receive notification to perform a three-year renewal.
  2. The process is essentially the same as creating a new ACORP (see previous). However, there are questions specific to updating the committee about progress on the project within the ACORP itself that will need to be addressed.
  3. For animal work to continue, the entire IACUC review process (including approval) must be completed by midnight of the three-year anniversary of the IACUC approval date. This is required by NIH/PHS policy and there is no extension possible (hence the four-month advance notice). If the annual update process is not complete by midnight of the three-year anniversary of the IACUC approval date, your animal work under that protocol will be halted (your animals will be placed on a holding protocol) until the process is completed. You will receive a new ACR once all relevant subcommittees have completed their review; you may begin new work described in the renewed ACORP (procedures, etc. not contained in previous ACORP) once you have received this ACR.

4. Amendments to a previously approved ACORP

Pre-review Process

  1. Fill out an Amendment Summary form (see forms section; also available on the Q: drive or from the IACUC coordinator) and make desired changes directly in the currently approved version of your ACORP. Highlight all proposed changes with GREEN HIGHLIGHT to facilitate IACUC review of the proposed amendment.
  2. Submit both documents to the VMO for a VA-required veterinary pre-review. Once you get the pre-review, make edits as applicable and then send to the IACUC coordinator for IACUC review.
  3. Amendments will be considered on a rolling basis through a process known as 'designated member review.' The IACUC coordinator sends the committee the amendment documents and the IACUC has three business days to respond--any committee member can call the amendment for full committee review for any reason. If this occurs, then the amendment is considered at the next IACUC meeting. If the committee agrees to designated member review, then the IACUC Chair designates two members to perform the review.

Review Process

  1. The committee (either full or designated member) will review the amendment and generate a list of modifications required prior to approval. These will be sent to you either following the meeting or following agreement of the designated members. Address these modifications and return the ACORP to the IACUC coordinator.
  2. Either the designated members or another subcommittee of the IACUC will review your responses and will either grant approval or require further modifications. Once final approval is obtained by all relevant committees (including Safety, as applicable), you will receive a signed copy of the new Amendment form and a new version of the approved ACORP. ONLY once you have received these documents do you have permission to conduct the changes described in the amendment.

Administrative amendments

  1. The IACUC allows for changes that do not significantly impact the experience of the animal (such as changes in personnel, grant title, typographical error correction, change in vendor) to be made after consideration by the IACUC chair and the VMO.
  2. To add personnel, the following must be done prior to approval being granted: the person(s) must be current on CITI website training (Working with the VA IACUC and the appropriate species-specific training course), they must have done a Veterinary Medical Unit orientation, and they must be enrolled in an Occupational Health and Safety program.
  3. Follow the process as for amendments above, notifying the IACUC coordinator upon submission that the amendment is administrative in nature.

 

Forms:

Amendment Summary Form 

 

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