Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
2023 SUMMER SCHEDULE FOR IRB and IACUC
The IRB and IACUC Committees generally operate at a reduced capacity during June and July. The summer schedule page will be updated in the coming months with this important information. (Click here)
IACUC Membership
- Chair – The leader of the oversight program who does not have to be a scientist but he/she fosters conversations by ensuring the review processes are fair
- Attending Veterinarian (AV) – Trained and experienced in laboratory practices & medicine relating animals who also serves as a liaison to animal sciences by critiquing animal treatment
- Scientist – Expert(s) in animal research with a strong scientific ability to critique, assess and propose alternatives to the proposed activities
- Nonscientist – A person with no science background who provides critical ethical views from a nonscientific perspective thereby serving as a strong advocate to the research subjects
- Nonaffiliated – A community member who is not affiliated with MTSU and in most instances is also a nonscientist who provides unbiased views thereby representing the opinion of the general public
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Institutional Official (IO) – The administrative leader of the University’s animal program who is a ranking official with Institutional authority to commit and allocate resources for the program
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Compliance Officer (CO) – The chief enforcer of the federal guidelines and serves as a liaison between the IACUC and the MTSU research community
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Ex-Officio – Campus-wide administrative members who oversee other regulatory process at MTSU
The role of the non-voting administrative officials in the MTSU IACUC is to ensure that the University’s commitment to foster a culture of compliance is adequately met. The chief duties of these administrative members is to provide additional Institutional support to the review process but not to intervene with the committee’s decisions thereby allowing total autonomy to the IACUC members. Although the institutional authorities will not interfere with the IACUC’s approval process, they can however hold or defer a protocol that has been approved by the IACUC for reasons relating to resource constraints or feasibility to conduct the study at MTSU.
IACUC Roles & Responsibilities
USDA Definition of "Animal"
Animal means any live or dead dog, cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, or any other warm blooded animal, which is being used, or is intended for use for research, teaching, testing, experimentation, or exhibition purposes, or as a pet. This term excludes: Birds, rats of the genus Rattus and mice of the genus Mus bred for use in research, and horses not used for research purposes and other farm animals, such as, but not limited to livestock or poultry, used or intended for use as food or fiber, or livestock or poultry used or intended for use for improving animal nutrition, breeding, management, or production efficiency, or for improving the quality of food or fiber." With respect to a dog, the term means all dogs, including those used for hunting, security, or breeding purposes.
Public Health Service (PHS) Definition
The PHS defines research-use animals as any live, vertebrate animal used or intended for use in research, research training, experimentation, or biological testing or for related purposes. MTSU's PHS assurance number is A4701-01.
- Additional Resources
- View the "IACUC Handbook" by Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)
- MTSU's policy on Animal Care and Use in Research and Testing
Office of Compliance
Sam H. Ingram Bldg. 010A
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Phone: 615-494-8918