Animal Subjects

Under the jurisdiction of the Vice Chancellor, Research, the Office of Laboratory Animal Care (OLAC) and the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) are responsible for the care and use of vertebrate animals in campus laboratories and classrooms. UC Berkeley policies are designed to ensure strict compliance with federal legislation and professional guidelines. These include the Federal Animal Welfare Act and Regulations, the National Research Council Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and the Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

The Office of Laboratory Animal Care (OLAC) (http://www.olac.berkeley.edu) is an academic service unit. It is responsible for managing and administering a centralized program of laboratory animal care. OLAC provides daily animal husbandry, veterinary care, provision of research services, surgical/anesthesia assistance and monitoring, purchase of all live vertebrates, purchase and disbursement of controlled substances, and training of research and technical personnel who use vertebrate animals in research or teaching.

The Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) (http://www.acuc.berkeley.edu) is a mandated Chancellor’s advisory committee. It is responsible for oversight and evaluation of the campus’s overall animal care and use program. Its functions include evaluation of the program; inspection of animal facilities and animal-study areas; submission of reports to responsible institutional officials; review of proposed uses of animals in research, testing, or education; and receipt and review of concerns involving the care and use of animals. The ACUC has the authority to approve, require modification in, or withhold approval of any proposed project, and to suspend any ongoing project that it determines is not being conducted in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and guidelines.

Principal investigators are directly responsible for the humane treatment of animals used in their research, the training of all personnel using animals, and compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and guidelines, as well as University policies regarding live vertebrate animals. Before undertaking any activity involving live vertebrate animals, principal investigators must submit an Animal Use Protocol (AUP) describing the proposed activities in detail to the ACUC for review and approval.

Because funding agencies look to the University for prevention, detection, and investigation of research misconduct, all administrative officials have indirect responsibility to ensure that compliance with laws and regulations is achieved with respect to research animals. Noncompliance with regulations and policies can result in the loss of the privilege to conduct animal research for the investigator and the University, fines and other penalties, and the loss of all federal funding to the University.

Individuals concerned about the welfare of any animal used in research or teaching at UC Berkeley should report their concerns immediately to the ACUC (acuc@uclink.berkeley.edu) or OLAC. Animal emergencies should be reported to OLAC at 643-8387.