Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Inspection of Research Laboratories

One to three weeks prior to an inspection, the IACUC office will contact the principal investigator (PI) to schedule a visit. The office will follow this approach:

• On a mutually agreed date and time, a team of two or more IACUC members will arrive to inspect the laboratory.
• The PI or a person authorized by the PI, should be present to provide the inspectors with an overview of the research, and a description of animal procedures used in the studies.
• After the inspection, the IACUC will issue a communication to the PI outlining the inspection findings and possible violations of regulatory policies.
• The PI will have 10 days to respond to the IACUC in writing with a plan to correct any observed violations.
• The IACUC sends records semiannually of all laboratory inspections to the Institutional Official.

It is IACUC policy to conduct inspections in a collegial, non-adversarial manner. Collegial cooperation is expected from PIs and their staff. If the PI cannot be available for the inspection, a staff person authorized by the PI should be present. The person should be familiar with the research activities of the laboratory and should be able to describe animal procedures and to answer inspectors’ questions. Here are some of the types of questions that IACUC inspectors ask:

1. Does the laboratory personnel wear appropriate attire (e.g., a laboratory coat) while in the laboratory?
2. What animal species are being used in the studies?
3. If genetically modified mice are used, do they have a normal or pathologic phenotype? How do you monitor animals with a pathologic phenotype for pain and distress?
4. If live animals are brought to the laboratory, how are they transported, handled, and what procedures are performed on them? How long are they kept in the laboratory?
5. Are all IACUC-approved protocols available to laboratory staff? Is the staff familiar with the provisions described in the approved protocols (e.g., use of an aesthetics and analgesics, health monitoring of animals, and humane endpoint criteria)?
6. Who is responsible for monitoring the health conditions of experimental animals after a procedure? How often are animals weighed? Is body condition checked and are body condition scores recorded as described in the approved IACUC protocols?
7. Are all areas used for procedures, such as euthanasia or surgery, clean and clutter free?
8. Are surgeries conducted in a dedicated area (at the time of surgery) of the laboratory? Is the area clean, clutter free, and situated in a quiet part of the laboratory away from personnel traffic?
9. What anesthetics are used for painful procedures?
10. Is isoflurane administered via a precision vaporizer? Is the vaporizer certified periodically?
11. If isoflurane is administered with the “open drop” method (isoflurane in a jar), is the procedure done in a fume hood?
12. How are the animals euthanized? Where is euthanasia carried out?
13. If CO₂is used for euthanasia, is the gas tank equipped with a flow meter? Is tank the properly secured?
14. If animals are housed in a satellite room outside the central vivaria, does the PI have IACUC permission to keep animals in such a facility?
15. How are animal carcasses discarded?
16. Are hazardous agents (e.g., toxins or carcinogens) used in the study? What standard operating procedures are followed to handle and use the agents, and what personal protective equipment (PPE) is used?
17. Are bio-hazardous agents (potentially infectious) used in the study? What standard operating procedures do you follow and what PPE do you use?
18. Are controlled substances (e.g., ketamine, buprenorphine) used? Where do you store them? Does the lab maintain logs of drug usage?
19. Are all drugs administered to animals of pharmaceutical grade and not expired?
20. What is the reason for administering chemical grade compounds? How do you prepare and store them? Are the storage vessels marked with an expiration date?
21. Are all animals weighed periodically as a part of a health monitoring program? Do you check body condition periodically, and are the body condition scores recorded?
22. Who would be responsible for determining that the clinical condition of an animal is such that the animal should be removed from the study and humanely euthanized?