ICARE Dialogues: COVID-related Issues of IACUCs and ACUPs of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Small Organizations
June 30, 2021, 1:30 – 3:30 PM ET | Virtual

The ICARE Project invites you to join us on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, for an ICARE Dialogues session on COVID-related Issues for IACUCs and ACUPs of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Small Organizations.

ICARE Dialogues is virtual and offered at no charge. The program format is a dialogue between and among participants and ICARE faculty, including federal partners.

Registration: IACUC members and institutional personnel involved in animal care and use programs (veterinarians, compliance, PAM, trainers, investigators, administrators) may register to participate in ICARE Dialogues here. Participants may submit questions, challenges, solutions, and ideas to address during sessions to ICARE.SERO@gmail.com.

The ICARE Project is an interagency initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

OLAW’s newest prerecorded webinar is now available
OLAW’s newest prerecorded webinar on IACUC Responsibilities Regarding Service Animals is now available online.

In this webinar, Drs. Axel Wolff and Ron Banks discuss laws and regulations relevant to providing access to research facilities for service animals. They define and discuss different categories of animals (e.g., service animals, emotional support animals, psychiatric service dogs, pets) and provide publicly available examples of institutional policies regarding service animals in research facilities. They also examine a hypothetical scenario and provide answers to your questions that we received before the webinar.

You may view the webinar and associated resources here.

ICARE Dialogues: IACUC Responsibilities for Wildlife Research
June 23, 2021, 1:30 – 3:30 PM ET | Virtual

The ICARE Project invites you to join us on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, for an ICARE Dialogues session on IACUC Responsibilities for Wildlife Research.

ICARE Dialogues is virtual and offered at no charge. The program format is a dialogue between and among participants and ICARE faculty, including federal partners.

Registration: IACUC members and institutional personnel involved in animal care and use programs (veterinarians, compliance, PAM, trainers, investigators, administrators) may register to participate in ICARE Dialogues here. Participants may submit questions, challenges, solutions, and ideas to address during sessions to ICARE.SERO@gmail.com.

The ICARE Project is an interagency initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

In response to the 21^st Century Cures Act (21 CCA), the NIH, USDA, and FDA are taking steps to reduce administrative burden associated with animal activities in biomedical research.

OLAW is excited to announce the launch of our new website dedicated to the 21 CCA action items, with subpages for each item. As action on items is initiated or finalized, pages will be added and updated. On each subpage, as applicable, you can find relevant:

• Policies and Laws,
• Guidance, and
• Resources, including FAQs, articles, webinars, and more.

Stay current with our progress across the 21 CCA action items by monitoring the 21 CCA News & Updates feature on the webpage.

New Guide Notice and webpage now available: Using Sections of the AAALAC International Program Description to Prepare the OLAW Domestic Assurance

OLAW has published a new Guide Notice, NOT-OD-21-130, Notice to Encourage Using AAALAC International Program Description Sections to Complete Parts of the OLAW Domestic Animal Welfare Assurance.

In response to the 21^st Century Cures Act to reduce administrative burden, OLAW is providing information on the option to use sections of the AAALAC International (AAALAC) Program Description (PD) in the OLAW Domestic Animal Welfare Assurance. This Notice provides details about which sections of the AAALAC PD may be used in the Assurance.

Institutions must ensure that all information requested in the Assurance document is provided, including information that is not requested in the AAALAC PD but is required by OLAW.

For more information, visit our new webpage on using sections of the AAALAC PD in the OLAW Domestic Assurance.

Pentobarbital Back Orders and Potential Alternatives

The Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM) has received reports of back orders of pentobarbital and has reached out to sponsors/manufacturers of pentobarbital products to determine the root cause and possible avenues for resolution. The FDA CVM maintains an Animal Drug Shortage Information website, which may be helpful to institutions during drug shortages.

In response to the current shortage, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has provided guidance about potential alternatives to pentobarbital that comply with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals: 2020 Edition, here.

OLAW reminds institutions that the PHS Policy IV.C. requires the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to determine that the method of euthanasia is consistent with the AVMA Guidelines unless justified for scientific reasons. A change in euthanasia method is a significant change that must be reviewed and approved by full committee review or designated member review. Alternately, if the IACUC has an approved policy for veterinary verification and consultation, the change may be handled administratively according to IACUC-reviewed and -approved policies in consultation with a veterinarian authorized by the IACUC.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding alternatives to pentobarbital, don’t hesitate to reach out to OLAW at olaw@mail.nih.gov.

IACUC Administrators Association (IAA) Webinar: USDA Categories [For All Critters?]
May 27, 2021, 3:00 – 4:30 PM ET | Virtual

Regulatory and policy expectations mandate that IACUCs ensure that pain and distress are minimized when using animals in biomedical research, training, and teaching. The USDA uses a categorization (Cat C, D and E) process for identifying pain levels. Although these categories need not be applied for non-USDA species, they may help us satisfy the 3R’s.

During this webinar, Dawn O’Connor, University of Michigan, and IAA, USDA, and OLAW representatives will help participants understand the USDA Pain Categories and identify how the scaling system may be a tool for evaluating non-USDA species. After their presentations, participants will have an opportunity for questions and answers.

Visit IAA to find out more and register. This event is free for IAA members and $30.00 for non-members.

SCAW Advance IACUC Training
Virtual | June 9, 2021, 1:00 – 4:30 PM ET

SCAW’s Virtual Advance IACUC Training educates and trains individuals who work with laboratory animals in research, testing, and education. They include IACUC members and administrators, principal investigators, active scientific investigators, attending veterinarians, regulatory personnel, and laboratory animal care staff.

SCAW’s Virtual Advance IACUC training on June 9, 2021, is free to SCAW Institutional Members and $60.00 for non-members.

For program and registration, scroll through SCAW’s IACUC Training Workshops page.

RFI Comments due by 11:59 PM ET August 9th, 2021

OLAW has published a new Guide Notice, NOT-OD-21-118, Request for Information (RFI) on Flexibilities to Reduce Administrative Burden While Continuing to Apply the PHS Policy to Zebrafish Immediately After Hatching.

In response to the 21^st Century Cures Act, OLAW is seeking input on clarifying flexibilities available to Assured institutions when using zebrafish in animal activities. This Notice provides justification for continuing to apply the PHS Policy to zebrafish immediately after hatching. It also provides a list of flexibilities to reduce administrative burden and OLAW’s expectations for Assured institutions when conducting zebrafish activities. Comments must be submitted electronically on the RFI webpage on or before August 9th, 2021, at 11:59 PM ET.

For more information, visit our new zebrafish webpage.

OLAW’s new page features FAQs on the PHS Policy, Vertebrate Animals Section, and COVID-19

Check out our new FAQs page, featuring all of our FAQs on one page. Using the left navigation menu, readily access all FAQs on the PHS Policy, Vertebrate Animals Section, and COVID-19.

Topics from the translation of animal models to data sharing to enrichment
June 3-4, 2021 | Virtual

NIH OLAW, Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, and USDA AWIC are pleased to offer the 8^th Annual 3Rs Symposium: Pandemic-Driven Advances, to be held virtually June 3-4, 2021.

Now 61 years after the release of Russell and Burch’s 1959 book, The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique, which reframed and revolutionized the way we use animals in research, we have come together to offer a lineup of internationally recognized experts in the 3Rs. See the full list of speakers and sessions here.

For two days, we’ll discuss the importance of scientific research for human and animal health and hot topics from the translation of work with animal models to improve human health, to the replacement of animal models using microphysiological systems and electronic noses. We’ll learn about collaborative data sharing efforts during COVID-19 to reduce the number of animals used in research, and about grimace scales and ground-breaking enrichment work. We’ll consider how institutions refined their processes and procedures during the pandemic, and how animal welfare impacts data quality and therefore the number of animals used in research.

To wrap up the second day, enjoy virtually touring the world’s largest, most comprehensive agricultural research center, the USDA Agricultural Research Center, on ~7,000 acres in Beltsville, MD.

This workshop has applied for RACE credits and offers reduced registration for federal workers, postdocs, and students, with registration fees ranging from $25 - $50. Come learn how non-animal models, data sharing, and enrichment, among many other topics, are changing the way we use animals in research!

Register today!

Staff changes in OLAW Division of Assurances
Eileen Morgan retired as the Director of the Division of Assurances (DOA) in September 2020. She continues to support OLAW as a Senior Animal Welfare Policy Advisor and member of the Interagency Collaborative Animal Research Education (ICARE) Project faculty.

Jane Na, DVM, was appointed as the Director of DOA. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology and Cognitive Science and laboratory animal medicine residency at the University of Michigan and attained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Michigan State University. Prior to joining OLAW in 2017, Dr. Na was the Lead Analyst at the University of California San Francisco in the Institutional Animal Care and Use Program office.

Robyn Engel, DVM, joined DOA as an Animal Welfare Program Specialist. Dr. Engel received her veterinary degree from Purdue University. She then completed a residency in laboratory animal medicine at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and served as a clinical veterinarian and animal welfare specialist for the Division of Veterinary Resources at NIH. Dr. Engel is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and the American College of Animal Welfare.

Venita Thornton, DVM, MPH, retired as a Senior Assurance Officer of DOA in May 2021 which marked the conclusion of 30 years of dedicated service to the National Institutes of Health and to her country as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service.

ICARE Dialogues: Leading and Contributing to High Performing Teams
May 26, 2021, 1:30 – 3:30 PM ET | Virtual

The ICARE Project invites you to join us on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, for an ICARE Dialogues session on Leading and Contributing to High Performing Teams.

ICARE Dialogues is virtual and offered at no charge. The program format is a dialogue between and among participants and ICARE faculty, including federal partners.

Registration: IACUC members and institutional personnel involved in animal care and use programs (veterinarians, compliance, PAM, trainers, investigators, administrators) may register to participate in ICARE Dialogues here. Participants may submit questions, challenges, solutions, and ideas to address during sessions to ICARE.SERO@gmail.com.

The ICARE Project is an interagency initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

IACUC Administrators Association (IAA) Webinar: Stress vs. Distress vs. Pain
May 13, 2021, 3:00 – 4:30 PM ET | Virtual

Regulatory and policy expectations mandate that IACUCs ensure that pain and distress are minimized when using animals in biomedical research, training, and teaching. During this webinar, speakers (including IAA, USDA, and OLAW representatives) will help participants uncover ideas to evaluate stress and/or distress associated with an animal activity. After their presentations, there will be opportunities for questions and answers.

Visit IAA to find out more and register. This event is free for IAA members and $30.00 for non-members.

ICARE Dialogues: Virtual AAALAC Site Visits and USDA Inspections

May 12, 2021, 1:30 – 3:30 PM ET | Virtual

The ICARE Project invites you to join us on Wednesday, May 12, 2021, for an ICARE Dialogues session on Virtual AAALAC Site Visits and USDA Inspections.

ICARE Dialogues is virtual and offered at no charge. The program format is a dialogue between and among participants and ICARE faculty, including federal partners.

Registration: IACUC members and institutional personnel involved in animal care and use programs (veterinarians, compliance, PAM, trainers, investigators, administrators) may register to participate in ICARE Dialogues here. Participants may submit questions, challenges, solutions, and ideas to address during sessions to ICARE.SERO@gmail.com.

The ICARE Project is an interagency initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

New sessions are now available for ICARE Dialogues

The ICARE Project has developed and invites you to join us for additional sessions of the ICARE Dialogues: Optimizing Animal Care and Use Program Success in a Changing Environment.

ICARE Dialogues is offered at no charge. Each session addresses specific topics, as described below. Although free, attendance is required of registered participants (see the registration page for details). The program format is a dialogue between and among participants and ICARE faculty, including federal partners. The program will provide institutional animal care and use program personnel the opportunity to discuss:
 

8^th Annual 3Rs Symposium: Pandemic-Driven Advances
June 3-4, 2021 | Virtual

The 8^th joint symposium organized by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), USDA’s Animal Welfare Information Center, NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, and Johns Hopkins Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology is scheduled for June 3^rd and 4^th, 2021. This year’s virtual symposium is titled “Pandemic Driven Advances.” Its goal is to bring together experts and practitioners to focus on the challenges faced during the pandemic and the successes in effectively using animal models to maximize both biomedical discovery and the 3Rs goal.

Visit CAAT now to view the preliminary agenda and register. Discounts are available for some attendees and the organizers have applied for 9 RACE credits.

OLAW's quarterly webinar, “IACUC Responsibilities Regarding Service Animals,” will be prerecorded: submit your questions by May 17, 2021

Due to software licensing restrictions for the number of registrants allowed to attend live webinar events, OLAW’s quarterly webinar titled “IACUC Responsibilities Regarding Service Animals” featuring Drs. Axel Wolff (OLAW) and Ron Banks (University of Oklahoma Health Services Center), will be prerecorded and released on June 10, 2021. Therefore, no registration is required.  

In this webinar, the speakers will focus on the complex interactions between service animals, emotional support animals, access of these animals to research facilities/vivaria, and the responsibilities of the IACUC and institution in navigating these challenges. The speakers will emphasize definitions, federal regulations, and examples of how institutions have tackled these issues.

If you have any questions for Drs. Wolff or Banks, please submit them to olawdpe@mail.nih.gov by May 17, 2021.  

Visit OLAW’s new Guide Notices page to view guidance by date or topic

We’ve updated our Guide Notices webpage to enable users to easily access our guidance by either date or topic. View by date to ensure you’re caught up on the latest OLAW guidance, or view by topic if you’re searching for guidance on a specific subject.  

IACUC Administrators Association (IAA) webinar: Performing an Animal Welfare Assessment for IACUC Administrators
April 8, 2021, 3:00 – 4:30 PM EDT

During this webinar, panelists and attendees will discuss qualitative and quantitative processes for assessing animal welfare. Following the speaker’s presentation, attendees will discuss the topic by posing questions to the speaker and other attendees, offering other effective ideas, and ultimately identify ideas for assessing animal welfare. Visit IAA to find out more and register. This event is free for IAA members and $30.00 for non-members. Registration will close Sunday, April 4.  

SCAW Basic IACUC Training
Virtual | March 30, 2021, 1:00 – 4:30 PM
SCAW’s Virtual IACUC Training educates and trains individuals who work with laboratory animals in research, testing, and education. They include IACUC members and administrators, principal investigators, active scientific investigators, attending veterinarians, regulatory personnel, and laboratory animal care staff.

SCAW’s virtual basic IACUC training on March 30, 2021, is free to SCAW Institutional Members and $60.00 for non-members.

For program and registration, scroll through SCAW's IACUC Training Workshops page.  

Webinar and resources are now available
The webinar recording and resources for OLAW’s most recent webinar, “21st Century Cures Act – Update on Implementation,” are now available. In this webinar, NIH, USDA, and FDA representatives provide updates on the agencies’ progress in implementing the recommended measures of the 21st Century Cures Act.

The 21st Century Cures Act, Section 2034(d), directed federal agencies to “complete a review of applicable regulations and policies for the care and use of laboratory animals and to make revisions, as appropriate, to reduce administrative burden on investigators while maintaining the integrity and credibility of research findings and the protection of research animals.” A report released in 2019 by a Working Group of NIH, USDA, and FDA representatives detailed the agencies’ plans to comply with the Act, including changing regulations and policy, improving coordination and harmonization, and developing new training and resources.

Visit the webinar webpage for the recording and resources.

IACUC Administrators Association (IAA) webinar: Animal Research, Reproducibility, Rigor, and Transparency
March 25, 2021, 3:00 – 4:30 PM EST

During this webinar, panelists and attendees will discuss how reproducibility, rigor, and transparency issues led to an NIH advisory committee. Participants will also take an in-depth look and analyze the current regulatory requirements trying to identify matters that fall under the jurisdiction of the IACUC that may position the committee to contribute to the effort of improving reproducibility, rigor, and transparency. During this webinar, attendees will discuss the topic by posing questions to the speaker and other attendees, offering ideas and perspectives on the issue.

Visit IAA to find out more and register. This event is free for IAA members and $30.00 for non-members. Registration will close on Sunday, March 21.  

8^th Annual 3Rs Symposium: Pandemic-Driven Advances
June 3-4, 2021 | Virtual

The 8^th joint symposium organized by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, USDA’s Animal Welfare Information Center, NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, and Johns Hopkins Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology is scheduled for June 3^rd and 4^th, 2021.  This year’s virtual symposium is titled “Pandemic Driven Advances.” Its goal is to bring together experts and practitioners to focus on the challenges faced during the pandemic and the successes in effectively using animal models to maximize both biomedical discovery and the 3Rs goal.

Registration coming soon!

IACUC Administrators Association (IAA) webinar: Biomedical & Wildlife Research, what differences should IACUCs recognize?
March 11, 2021, at 3:00 – 4:30 PM EST

During this webinar, Bill Greer will introduce unique challenges associated with wildlife research and attendees will help to identify other unique wildlife-associated challenges. Panelists and attendees will identify techniques used by organizations that frequently review and oversee wildlife studies and discuss some tried and tested ideas for the review, approval, and oversight of wildlife research. During the webinar, attendees will discuss the topic by posing questions to the speakers and other attendees, offering ideas, and ultimately identifying effective and practical processes for managing and overseeing wildlife research.    

Visit IAA to find out more and register. This event is free for IAA members and $30.00 for non-members.   

Next ILAR Virtual Workshop – Rapid Response by Laboratory Animal Research Institutions During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned
March 9-10, 2021 | Virtual

The number of emerging infectious diseases affecting humans has risen significantly in the last 40 years. When these diseases lead to epidemics or pandemics, infectious disease and laboratory animal research communities have faced steep learning curves in coordinating institutional animal research responses. During the current COVID-19 event, laboratory animal research operations nationwide were disrupted, creating new and unique response challenges, including prioritizing science to end the ongoing pandemic while delaying other research.

Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic will provide guidance for developing a rapid and sustainable response for the research community. This will include outlining institutional animal research priorities, addressing important resources, and coordinating activities to advance medical progress for both current and future public health safety.

Click here to register for this free event and learn more!

News flashes and schedules of workshops and conferences older than 1 year will now be archived on OLAW’s website.
To increase site maintenance efficiency, OLAW has archived news flashes and schedules of workshops and conferences older than one year using Archive-It. The archive is publicly available and there are no restrictions on its use.

To access OLAW’s archived material, navigate to the “Older versions of this Page” link located at the bottom OLAW’s home page.
 

Once the new page loads, users can then navigate previous versions of each web page using the calendar navigation bar at the top of the page.
 

Learn more at the Archive-It Initiative. 

IACUC Administrators Association (IAA) webinar: Virtual Quality Assurance Reviews (PAMS)
February 25, 2021 at 3:00 – 4:30 PM EST

During this webinar, Erin Czarniak will present some tried and tested processes for performing virtual quality assurance assessments. She will describe some of the processes used to ensure the high quality of ongoing review of IACUC-approved animal activities. During the webinar, attendees are welcome to discuss these ideas and methods, posing questions to the speaker and other attendees, offering other effective ideas, and ultimately identifying compliant processes for performing the reviews. OLAW and USDA representatives will also be available for questions.

Visit IAA to find out more and register. This event is free for IAA members and $30.00 for non-members.

The OLAW quarterly webinar on 21^st Century Cures Act: Update on Implementation will be prerecorded – submit your questions by February 19, 2021

Due to software licensing restrictions for the number of registrants allowed to attend live webinar events, OLAW’s quarterly webinar titled “21st Century Cures Act: Update on Implementation” featuring Drs. Patricia Brown (NIH), Betty Goldentyer (USDA), and Brianna Skinner (FDA) will be prerecorded and released on March 11, 2021. Therefore, no registration is required.   

In this webinar, the speakers will provide updates on the agencies’ progress in implementing the recommended measures of the 21st Century Cures Act. The 21st Century Cures Act, Section 2034(d), directed NIH, USDA, and FDA to “complete a review of applicable regulations and policies for the care and use of laboratory animals and to make revisions, as appropriate, to reduce administrative burden on investigators while maintaining the integrity and credibility of research findings and the protection of research animals.” In response to this directive, a working group from NIH, USDA, and FDA identified regulations and policies that contribute to the administrative burden. It released a report in 2019 detailing the planned actions of the three agencies.  

If you have any questions for Drs. Brown, Goldentyer, and Skinner, please submit them to olawdpe@mail.nih.gov before February 19, 2021.

PRIM&R 2021 IACUC Conference 
April 14-16, 2021 | Virtual 

The conference will include keynote, plenary, and breakout sessions, networking events, and in-depth workshops designed to help build and strengthen effective animal care and use programs. It will also provide ample opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss best practices, and work through challenges that can arise when using animal models in research. 

Conference content will be streamed live from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM ET each day (all content will also be available on demand for later viewing). In the afternoon, attendees can choose to participate in additional networking activities with their peers, attend in-depth workshops, visit the virtual exhibit hall and poster gallery, and more.
 

Learn more at the PRIM&R 2021 IACUC Conference.