December 20, 2006
A new Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) is now posted on the OLAW website at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/faqs.htm#instresp_8. This FAQ provides guidance on the roles of the Institutional Official and the IACUC in developing plans to diminish the likelihood that their institution or its employees will become targets of animal activists.

Institutions are encouraged to review OLAW FAQs and make use of this resource. As necessary OLAW will update the site with new FAQs.

December 13, 2006
Volume 48(1): Contemporary Topics for Animal Care Committees
This issue of ILAR Journal explores contemporary, ethical and scientific topics of interest relevant to individuals involved in management of animal research programs.

"Together the articles stress the importance of continually assessing and adopting new technology and scientific information, as well as routinely evaluating all components of a research program." --Janet C. Gonder

Articles in this issue:

• Introduction: Recent Studies, New Approaches, and Ethical Challenges in Animal Research
• Establishing a Culture of Care, Conscience, and Responsibility: Addressing the Improvement of Scientific Discovery and Animal Welfare Through Science-based Performance Standards
• Verification of IACUC Approval and the Just-in-time PHS Grant Process
• A Renewed Look at Laboratory Rodent Housing and Management
• Medical Records for Animals Used in Research, Teaching, and Testing: Public Statement from the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine
• The Ethics of Animal Research: A UK Perspective
• Commentary: Overcoming Ideology: Why It Is Necessary to Create a Culture in Which the Ethical Review of Protocols Can Flourish

Articles and whole issues of ILAR Journal and ILAR e-Journal can be ordered and downloaded online at www.ilarjournal.com . For more information, contact ILAR at 202-334-2590 or ILAR@nas.edu.

November 30, 2006
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) welcomes Susan Brust Silk, M.S., where she will serve as the Acting Director of the Division of Policy and Education. Ms. Silk comes to OLAW from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), where she served in the Office of the Director in many roles, including educational program developer, special communication project developer, senior scientific writer and speechwriter. Prior to joining the NCI OD, she served the NCI Intramural Program as a senior animal policy advisor and Director of the Office of Mice Advice. Susan directed Transgenic Mouse Core Laboratories at both NIH and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She has an M.S. degree in immunology University of Pennsylvania, and M.S. degree in genetics from the University of Maryland, a B.S. degree in biomedical illustration from the University of Maryland and a B.F.A. in design and fine arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Susan brings 25 years of experience in biomedical research and scientific communication to OLAW.

November 28, 2006
The NIH has announced the Notice of a Report on the Review of Responses to the National Institutes of Health Request for Information (RFI): Standards for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The Notice, NOT-OD-07-016, is to inform the research community of the NIH review of submissions to RFI NOT-OD-06-011 (Request for Information: Standards for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals), which explored the need to update the laboratory animal welfare standards of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. It is available at: http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-016.html.

October 17, 2006
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, NIH, the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW), the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, and the Animal Care Division, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will present the SCAW Winter Conference, �Addressing Current Animal Research and IACUC Issues.� The meeting will be held December 4-5, 2006, at The Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. The SCAW workshop will include topics such as the search for humane endpoints, scientific methods of assessing animal behavior, and how IACUCs address new technologies. The conference agenda and a registration form are available on the SCAW website at http://www.scaw.com/conference.htm .

September 15, 2006
On Tuesday, September 26, the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, the California Biomedical Research Association, and Stanford University will co-sponsor an IACUC 101 conference. The course will be held at the South San Francisco Conference Center. The IACUC 101 is a full day didactic and interactive training course that provides a basic yet comprehensive overview of the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the humane care and use of laboratory animals with examples and possible approaches for successful and effective administration.

The program, registration and accommodation information are posted at:
http://ca-biomed.org/professional.php .

September 11, 2006
A series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) is now posted on the OLAW website at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/faqs.htm . The information in the FAQs is updated and supersedes guidance previously published as articles in journals and magazines such as Contemporary Topics and Lab Animals. However, in many instances the previously published material provides additional information or elaboration, and is therefore available through hyperlinks provided on the FAQ site.

The FAQs also provide guidance on topics not previously addressed by OLAW, including the Freedom of Information Act, post approval monitoring, HVAC malfunctions and failures, and rodent cage density.

Note that the FAQs have resulted in a number of changes to the Guidance section of the OLAW website [ https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/olaw.htm ]:

• FAQs replace �Guidance, Organized by Topic� and the �Comprehensive Guidance Document�
• Previously published articles are now available via the FAQs [ https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/faqs.htm#ref ].
• �Notices� now includes a Word document of current notices.

Institutions are encouraged to review the FAQs and make use of this new resource. As necessary OLAW will update the site with new FAQs.

July 12, 2006
On Wednesday, November 8, and Thursday, November 9, 2006, in Honolulu , Hawaii , the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, the University of Hawaii , and Tripler Army Medical Center will co-sponsor two days of IACUC training at the Waikiki Marriott Hotel. The first day is a traditional IACUC 101 course, which is a full day didactic and interactive training course that provides a basic yet comprehensive overview of the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the humane care and use of laboratory animals with examples and possible approaches for successful and effective administration. The second day is a special IACUC 201 course, which is a highly interactive program that takes the fundamentals of IACUC 101 and applies them to the process and mechanisms of ensuring compliance with a mock IACUC in the afternoon session to address complex scenarios.

Program information is posted at http://www.hjf.org/events/ . Click on �View All� on the left side of the screen, scroll down to the �IACUC 101/201 PLUS� event, and click on �More Information� for specific information including agenda, travel and accommodations information, and online registration form.

July 12, 2006
Patricia A. Brown, V.M.D., will be temporarily assigned to the position of Acting Director, OLAW, effective July 24, 2006.

Dr. Brown received her B.Sc. Degree in Animal Science (1974) from Pennsylvania State University and her veterinary degree (1978) from the University of Pennsylvania. She served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years and while on active duty earned a M. Sc. in Laboratory Animal Medicine from the M.S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA. She joined the U.S. Public Health Service in 1986 and has served in a variety of positions at the National Institutes of Health within the Veterinary Resources Branch, the National Cancer Institute and the Office of Animal Care and Use. Since 2001 she has been the Deputy Director in the Office of Animal Care and Use, Office of Intramural Research, Office of the Director, NIH. Dr. Brown is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM), has served on the Board of Directors of ACLAM, is a past president of the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP) and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of AAALAC International representing ASLAP.

June 19, 2006
OLAW has created a brochure intended to communicate to investigators their responsibilities under PHS Grants Policy and PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. What Investigators Need to Know About the Use of Animals provides a succinct resource for investigators to quickly grasp the main expectations and requirements when using animals in research supported by the PHS. The brochure may be accessed at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/InvestigatorsNeed2Know.pdf (PDF - 4 MB) or in Word at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/InvestigatorsNeed2Know.doc (MS Word - 47 KB). OLAW will provide institutions with enough copies to disseminate to all of their investigators that work with animals. Send requests, along with the number of copies needed, to olaw@od.nih.gov, and please be sure to provide your complete mailing address.

June 15, 2006
The National Institutes of Health seeks applications from candidates for the position of Director, Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), located in the Office of Extramural Research (OER). The OLAW Director provides executive leadership and direction to OLAW which is responsible for developing and coordinating appropriate Public Health Service (PHS) regulations, policies, and procedures on the humane care and use of laboratory animals involved in research conducted or supported by any component of the PHS, and reports directly to the NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research.

For information concerning the duties and responsibilities of this position, salary and benefits available, required qualifications, and mandatory application procedures, interested candidates should visit the OER website at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer_vacancies.htm. Questions about the announcement should be directed to Harold Atkins, atkinsh@mail.nih.gov, and should reference the announcement number (OD-06-130337). DHHS and NIH are Equal Opportunity Employers.

June 14, 2006
Please join OLAW in welcoming Brent C. Morse, D.V.M. to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare where he will serve as an Animal Welfare Program Specialist in the Division of Compliance Oversight. Dr. Morse comes to OLAW after five years at the Division of Veterinary Resources (DVR) in the Office of Research Services at the NIH. While at DVR he served as a Facility Veterinarian and later as the Acting Chief of the Veterinary Medicine Branch. He is a 1987 graduate of the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine and a Diplomate in the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Commander Morse is a Commissioned Corps officer in the U.S. Public Health Service and served 13 years in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps. He has worked exclusively in the field of Laboratory Animal Medicine for 16 years with a background in regulatory compliance, facility design and construction, clinical medicine, and administration. He had previously served as an ad-hoc site visitor for the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALACi). He and his wife are natives of Seattle Washington but have resided in Maryland with their two sons for the last 14 years.

June 8 , 2006
The NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare will sponsor an IACUC-Advanced program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, on September 12, 2006, at the Statler Hotel. IACUC Advanced is for experienced IACUC members and others who work with laboratory animals. The program will include a keynote address by Adrian Morrison, and small group discussions of complex topics relevant to IACUC functions. The focus of this workshop will include IACUC review and scientific merit, protocol and grant application congruency, IACUC and institutional responsibility for occupational health and safety, reportable events, IACUC responsibility for transgenic animal protocols, ethical considerations for the IACUC, and training and care of community members. Visit http://www.scaw.com/iacuc-advanced.htm for for registration and other information concerning the SCAW Advanced meeting.

The SCAW Advanced meeting will immediately precede another OLAW sponsored conference, Practical Approaches to Managing Occupational Health Programs in Your Animal Facility, September 13-14, also at the Statler Hotel on the Cornell campus (see http://www.research.cornell.edu/care/conference.htm ).

June 8, 2006
The NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, in conjunction with Cornell University, will offer a conference entitled Practical Approaches to Managing Occupational Health Programs in Your Animal Facility, September 13-14, 2006, at the Statler Hotel on the Cornell campus in Ithaca, NY. This conference brings together internationally recognized leaders of the scientific and regulatory communities to identify issues and practical ideas for implementing a successful program. The target audience for this conference includes individuals involved in any aspect of an occupational health and safety program, including Institutional Officials, IACUC members and administrators, investigators, occupational medicine professionals, biosafety officers, and attending veterinarians. For more information, including an agenda and registration form, see: http://www.research.cornell.edu/care/conference.htm

This conference immediately follows a SCAW Advanced workshop to be held September 12, also at the Statler Hotel (see http://www.scaw.com/iacuc-advanced.htm ).

May 1, 2006
On Thursday, July 13, the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare and the University of New England will co-sponsor an IACUC 101 conference. The course will be held at the Harold Alfond Center for Health Sciences located on the Biddeford Campus in Maine. The IACUC 101 is a full day didactic and interactive training course that provides a basic yet comprehensive overview of the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the humane care and use of laboratory animals with examples and possible approaches for successful and effective administration.

The program and registration are posted at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/Biddeford_042406.doc (MS Word - 68 KB)

Hotel information is posted at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/Biddeford_042406_accommodation.doc (MS Word - 32 KB)

The latest program and registration information is posted at: http://www.utexas.edu/research/rsc/news/iacuc101.html .

March 24, 2006
New guidance addressing the use of telecommunications when a convened meeting of a quorum of the IACUC is required under the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals is published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, March 24, 2006, NOT-OD-06-052.

March 24, 2006
A new Disaster Planning & Response Resources, webpage is available to assist PHS awardee institutions with animal care & use programs in planning and responding to natural and other disasters. This site includes: Lessons Learned from Hurricanes Katrina & Rita, links to relevant Guide, Agricultural Guide and ARENA/OLAW IACUC Guidebook excerpts, and to other disaster planning and response resources.

Included in this issue more than 100 website references in categories such as rodent biology, physiology, embryology, genetics, husbandry, genotyping, phenotyping, behavior, pathology, necropsy, tissue processing, immunohistochemistry, and imaging. Also included are listservs, nomenclature, and other resources.  Articles in this issue comprise:

• Introduction: The Blind Men and the Elephant: What "Elephanomics" Can Teach “Muromics”
• Mouse Phenome Research: Implications of Genetic Background
• Embryonic and Neonatal Phenotyping of Genetically Engineered Mice
• Phenotyping of Genetically Engineered Mice: Humane, Ethical, Environmental, and Husbandry Issues
• Behavioral Phenotyping of Transgenic and Knockout Mice: Practical Concerns and Potential Pitfalls
• Genetic Variables That Influence Phenotype
• Microbial Considerations in Genetically Engineered Mouse Research
• Cause and Effect Considerations in Diagnostic Pathology and Pathology
• Phenotyping of Genetically Engineered Mice (GEM)
• Internet Resources for Phenotyping Engineered Rodents

To order this issue or articles in PDF, go to: http://www.national-academies.org/ilarjo , or call 202-334-2590, or e-mail ILAR@nas.edu.  Publication of this issue of the ILAR Journal is partially supported by a grant from the NIH (5 P-40-RR-11611).

February 27, 2006
NIH, USDA, and FDA have participated under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Concerning Laboratory Animal Welfare for much of the past 2 decades.  Each agency, operating under its own authority, has specific responsibilities for fostering proper animal care and welfare.  This agreement sets forth a framework for reciprocal cooperation intended to enhance agency effectiveness while avoiding duplication of efforts in achieving required standards for the care and use of laboratory animals.  The new MOU is available at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/finalmou.htm.

February 24, 2006
The NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare will join the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare, the University of California-Davis, the Office of Animal Care, APHIS/USDA, GlaxoSmithKline, and Our Animal WARDS in presenting an advanced training course for members of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC) on April 27, 2006. It will be held at the UC-Davis Activities and Recreation Center, La Rue Road and Orchard Drive, Davis, California. IACUC-Advanced is a new program to train members of IACUCs. This workshop is for experienced IACUC members and others who work with laboratory animals. The program will include small discussion groups and sharing of information among the participants on issues and controversies involving compliance with Federal laws and regulations in research activities involving animals.

The latest program and registration information is posted at: http://scaw.com/iacuc-advanced.htm .

February 24, 2006
The deadline for responding to the NIH request for information concerning new standards for the care and use of laboratory animals is extended to March 31, 2006 (see NOT-OD-06-040). Please refer to the original Request for Information (NOT-OD-06-011) for additional information about this solicitation.

February 7, 2006
The American Physiological Society (APS) announces the publication of a Resource Book for the Design of Animal Exercise Protocols. This book was developed by experts in the fields of exercise physiology and animal research models. It is intended for researchers, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs), and those involved with research oversight. The authoring committee, which was comprised of exercise physiologists and laboratory animal veterinarians, reviewed reference material and drew upon their own experience to compile suggestions about how to design, review, and implement experimental paradigms involving animals and exercise. The APS Resource Book was peer reviewed by other exercise physiologists and laboratory animal veterinarians. The PDF of the book is available online at http://www.the-aps.org/pa/action/exercise/book.pdf (PDF - 545 KB).

OLAW sponsored the development of the APS Resource Book, and single copies are available free of charge from OLAW while supplies last. Contact OLAW@od.nih.gov to request a free copy. Copies may also be purchased for $9.50 each from the APS store (http://www.the-aps.org/store/ ).

January 31, 2006
On Wednesday, April 19, and Thursday, April 20, 2006, in Richmond, Virginia, the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare and Virginia Commonwealth University will co-sponsor two days of IACUC training at the Omni Richmond Hotel. The first day is a traditional IACUC 101 course, which is a full day didactic and interactive training course that provides a basic yet comprehensive overview of the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the humane care and use of laboratory animals with examples and possible approaches for successful and effective administration. The second day is a special IACUC 201 course, which is a highly interactive program that takes the fundamentals of IACUC 101 and applies them to the process and mechanisms of ensuring compliance with a mock IACUC in the afternoon session to address complex scenarios.

The program and registration information are posted at http://www.research.vcu.edu/events/iacuc101201

January 13, 2006

A new National Research Council report says that an interagency group should be established to coordinate the complex patchwork of Federal regulations governing the transport of laboratory animals.  Steps should also be taken to ensure the availability of safe, reliable air and ground shipment for research animals.  The report offers science-based guidelines for humane transportation.

An executive summary is available in Adobe format at http://www.nap.edu/execsumm_pdf/11557.pdf (PDF - 160 KB), and an online version of the report, and information about ordering may be found at The National Academies Press website at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11557.html

This study was partially supported by the National Institutes of Health (N01-OD-4-2139, Task Order 118).

January 6, 2006
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare/NIH (OLAW) will join Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) and the Applied Research Ethics National Association (ARENA) in co-sponsoring IACUC 101 on Sunday, March 26, and the annual PRIMR/ARENA IACUC Conference on Monday-Tuesday, March 27-28, 2006, in Boston, Massachusetts. This year’s PRIMR/ARENA Conference theme is Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future.

IACUC 101 is a full day didactic and interactive course for new as well as seasoned IACUC members, IACUC affiliates and individuals responsible for their institution’s animal care program. Participants will receive an extensive Resources Manual plus other valuable reference materials and information.

The PRIM&R/ARENA Annual IACUC Conference will include panels on the currency of the 1996 Guide, best practices and new approaches avoiding conflict of interest during the IACUC review process, and lessons learned from Katrina. The conference is designed to be relevant and of interest to IACUC participants of all levels of experience.

Additional information about the meeting and registration is posted at: http://primr.org/education/2006_IACUC/overview_IACUC06.html