The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, or IACUC, is responsible for the assessment, oversight, and routine evaluations of SIU’s Animal Care and Use Program. The committee reviews and approves animal use protocols, routinely inspects animal care and use areas, conducts semiannual reviews, and establishes policies and procedures pertaining to SIU animal welfare.
Upcoming IACUC Meetings (3rd Wednesday of the month)
Submit the completed Animal Use Application (.docx) and Statement of Assurance (.pdf) to iacuc@siu.edu. Attach any documents referenced in the protocol such as permits or standard operating procedures (SOPs). Including additional graphics such as flowcharts or tables may help reviewers better understand the proposal.
Review
The IACUC administrative office coordinates with the IACUC committee to initiate the pre-review and review process.
Upon completion of pre-review, all committee members read the protocol and make the determination if a subset of at least two reviewers (Designated Member Review) or if the full committee (Full Committee Review) should evaluate the protocol. FCR will occur at the monthly IACUC meeting. If the protocol is a new submission, the Principal Investigator (PI) will be invited to join the meeting and answer questions from the committee.
All revision requests, including those from pre-review, DMR, or FCR, will be communicated to the PI in writing via email. Revision requests often occur more than once before approval. Responding to revision requests in a timely manner ensures that the protocol is reviewed with minimal delays.
Approval
After the necessary revisions, IACUC may elect to approve the protocol. If approved, a memorandum will be sent to the PI with the date of approval. Approved protocols are valid for 3 years.
By law, work cannot begin on a protocol until the formal IACUC memorandum of approval is emailed to the PI.
Principal Investigators can request to add personnel to their active protocols at any time. This process requires a separate form, but adding additional personnel is administratively approved, typically within 2 business days if all requested personnel meet the necessary training and occupational health and safety enrollment requirements.
The PI will then receive an administrative approval memo, and an updated copy of the protocol.
Please note that personnel cannot begin working on the protocol until the official approval memo is received.
Amendments
If a PI wishes to make changes to their active protocol, they must submit an amendment request. Amendments, like new protocols, may undergo one or more rounds of revisions.
To submit an amendment request, make the desired changes or edits to a copy of your protocol. Once the protocol has all of the proposed changes included, prepare a memo that details each change and the reasoning, including sources and references if applicable. Then, send both documents to iacuc@siu.edu for review.
There are three ways in which an amendment can be reviewed:
Administrative approval for minor edits that only affect administrative portions of the protocol, such as contact information updates or changing the supply source of the animals.
Veterinary Verification and Consultation can be used for certain amendments that do not unduly affect animal welfare or study objectives.
Amendments that propose significant changes will follow the same review process as new protocols; DMR or FCR.
The IACUC administrative office will communicate any revision requests in writing to the PI. When the amendment is approved, the PI will receive an approval memo and an updated copy of the protocol with the approved changes.
