PURDUE ANIMAL CARE
PURDUE
AND
USE COMMITTEE
http://www.purdue.edu/animals
UNIVERSITY
PACUC Newsletter
JUNE 2008
Volume 24, No. 2
Welcome to the new electronic version of the PACUC newsletter. We
appreciate any feedback or suggestions for topics for the next volume.
Dealing with Grief in the Research Environment
From AALAS IN ACTION (American Asso- describes some of the emotions that
ciation for Laboratory Animal Science) may be felt by staff members, disApril 2008
cusses ways staff members may express grief, and provides suggestions
The Cost of Caring: Recognizing Human for coping strategies that may be helpEmotions in the Care of Laboratory Ani- ful in dealing with the grief. By acknowlmals brochure assists all members of edging that these feelings exist and
the research team in providing sugges- supporting the people who care for
tions and resources for managing hu- these animals in the workplace, the
man emotions in the care of laboratory research community will benefit by
animals. Kindness and concern for ani- helping to maintain a healthy and promals are desirable characteristics in
ductive climate in the animal research
animal care and research workers;
environment for both humans and anithus, it is not surprising to find that
mals. This PDF brochure is available
workers experience grief or bereavefrom the Free Downloads section of the
ment at the death of animals used for AALAS website: www.aalas.org/
bookstore/downloads.asp.
research or teaching. The brochure
Problems with this email transmission? Call 494-7259 or email
[email protected]
In This Issue;
Dealing with Grief in the Research
Environment
AALAS National Meeting in November
Animal Transportation Guidelines
By the Numbers: Justifying Animal
Numbers Requested in Protocol Applications
Personnel Qualification Forms and
Training
From the AALAS Website (American Association for Laboratory Animal Science)
The 59th AALAS National Meeting will be held in Indianapolis November 9-13, 2008. The AALAS National Meeting is the largest
gathering in the world of professionals concerned with the production, care, and use of laboratory animals. Each fall since 1950,
the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science has held its annual National Meeting. During the five days of the meeting, members and nonmembers come together to enjoy the workshops, lectures, poster sessions, and exhibits. The program is
designed to have topics relevant to the entire membership. Exhibitors have an opportunity to interact with AALAS members
from the academic community, research institutions, government organizations, and commercial companies.
For this 59th meeting, the Program Committee is continuing the special themed forum initiated last year in Charlotte, NC. The
theme for the 2008 National Meeting in Indianapolis, IN will be Neurobehavioral Sciences Forum.
Information regarding the meeting can be found at the AAALAS website: http://nationalmeeting.aalas.org/default.asp
With the meeting being held in Indianapolis, it will present a unique opportunity for Purdue animal care and research staff to
attend this meeting. Start checking out your options / making your plans to attend!
William Ferner
Laboratory Animal Program
Guidelines for Transportation of Animals in Areas Outside Animal Facilities
Animals and animal caging must be transported in a
contained manner to protect the animals, minimize
risk of escape, and to protect personnel along the
transport route from potential exposure to animal allergens.
Reducing stressors by maintaining appropriate ventilation, avoiding temperature and humidity extremes as
well as minimizing noise and odors play a significant
role in reducing research variability. It is also important to maintain an animal’s health status by avoiding
exposure to potential pathogens.
Animals must be transported safely and in a manner
that minimizes stress. The cage, carrier or container
must be escape proof, e.g., there must be a latch or
locking mechanism to prevent unintended opening.
Containers should not be needlessly jostled, tilted or
unsafely stacked. A secondary enclosure (e.g., disposable box) should be used in addition to the primary
enclosure when transporting rodents between buildings. Examine the interior of any disposable transport
box used before disposal to assure animals are not
left in the container.
Transportation of animals should avoid public areas.
When it is necessary to transport animals through
public areas, particularly outdoors, animals should be
visually obscured using a shroud or opaque secondary
enclosure. Personnel should be aware of the risk of
possible reaction by those opposed to animal use.
To minimize release of bedding from rodent cages,
animal dander and airborne animal allergens into the
environment, personnel should ensure that filter tops
are used on rodent cages or that cages, carriers or
animals are covered with a drape or shroud during
transport.
Empty, soiled cages (with or without bedding) or carriers should be handled in the same fashion. Soiled
cages / carriers should be covered during transport
and should avoid personnel areas. Soiled cages may
also be contained in bags as a means of minimizing
allergen exposure during transport. They should be
returned to an animal facility as soon as possible.
Temperature extremes need to be avoided. Special
precautions to protect animals from heat or cold
stress or postponements are required when temperatures are below 45o or above 85o Fahrenheit. Inclement weather (e.g., rain) may also necessitate postponement dependent upon the planned mode (e.g.,
foot vs. controlled climate vehicle) and distance of
transport.
Reusable enclosures should be sanitized between use
to prevent the spread of pathogenic microorganisms,
animal wastes and allergens. Clean and decontaminate cargo areas used in the transportation of animals
as necessary to prevent contamination of future animal deliveries.
When any body fluids (blood, urine, saliva mucus), feces, or dirty bedding contacts any surface outside the
carrier, it must immediately be removed and the area
disinfected with an appropriate disinfectant.
Transporting animals in personal vehicles is discouraged. In many cases, the unit animal care staff can
provide or arrange for transportation of animals. Individuals are encouraged to check on the availability of
such service. If a personal vehicle must be used, plastic of a similar impermeable material should be placed
under the transport cage / carrier to reduce risk of
contamination.
For transport of animals to locations outside Purdue,
contact the Laboratory Animal Program office for information pertaining to transfer. Individuals planning to
transport live animals (or carcasses) exposed to hazardous materials (e.g. infectious materials, hazardous
chemicals, radioisotopes) from one location to another
should contact Purdue University Radiological and
Environmental Management (REM) for specific guidance.
Lisa Snider
PACUC Administrator
By The Numbers
Section 5.2 of the Application to Use Vertebrate Animals in Research, Teaching or Testing, more commonly called the Protocol Application, addresses the question of justification for the number of animals
being requested for the intended studies. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, which
is incorporated into the policies of the Public Health Service, with whom Purdue has its Animal Welfare
Assurance, indicates that the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee should review “justification of
the species and number of animals requested. Whenever possible, the number of animals requested should
be justified statistically”. This section of the protocol application, therefore, focuses on two aspects –
the number of animals needed for each individual experiment and the number of experiments to be carried out over the period of up to 3 years.
In answering the question from the first standpoint, as indicated in the guidelines for using this form
(which can be found on our website), this includes the number of groups, number of animals per treatment
group, number of treatment groups, number of experimental replications, number of strains, etc. A formal
power analysis may be useful in determining the number of animals needed in each group in order to assure
that there is an adequate number for assessing statistical significance but not more than is really necessary. Using too small a number can result in obtaining equivocal data which may ultimately result in the use
of more animals than if an adequate number had been originally employed.
The second aspect focuses on what the experimental needs are for the particular studies in the entire
proposal. This is the driving force for the total number of animals to be used and should parallel the experiments described in section 7.1. Unfortunately, in some cases this is not adequately addressed leading
to questions which must be answered prior to gaining approval of the protocol. While it can be simple, it
needs to be complete. An example would be looking at 6 new chemical entities per year for their efficacy
against 5 tumor types using 4 dose levels plus control with 8 animals of each sex per treatment group during each of the 3 years. Therefore, 6x5x5x8x2x3 equals 7200 animals. While this is a large number of
animals, it is justified by a reasonable experimental design.
Even for in vitro studies, the number of animals requested should reflect experimental needs. The number should not be based on how many studies can be done in a month or how many animals were used in
previous years. Determining the number of animals needed should be fairly easy. For example, you want
to study changes in genes associated with neuronal responses to heavy metals. You decide to study 5 metals at 6 concentrations in isolated brain cells from 2 species. It will take brains from 10 animals to get
enough cells for each sample. You will do 6 replicates for statistical reasons. Therefore, 5x6x2x10x6
equals 3600 animals. While again a large number, it is in accord with a sound experimental design.
Be sure to add in animals for range or dose finding experiments or pilot studies if necessary. Also include
animals that might be needed for the training of new individuals. If appropriate, adjust your numbers for
failure rates and indicate the expected failure rates. If you have a breeding colony for special strains, be
sure to include these breeder animals in your count.
Also remember, if new studies develop and you request an amendment to an approved protocol, you can
always ask for an increase in the number of animals approved for use.
Gary P. Carlson, Ph.D.
PACUC Chair
Regulatory Review – Personnel Qualifications and Training
The “Guide for the Care and Use
of Laboratory Animals” states
that personnel caring for and
working with research animals
should be appropriately trained,
and the institution should provide
for the necessary formal or onthe-job training to ensure adequate care of every animal. Purdue University’s training policy
states:
http://www.purdue.edu/
research/vpr/rschadmin/
rschoversight/animals/
policies.shtml
Within every research program,
there is a need for personnel with
various expertise including husbandry, administration, lab animal medicine and pathology, occupational health and safety, behavioral management, genetic
management, and various other
disciplines. Investigators, technicians, trainees, students, and
visiting investigators who will
work independently to perform
any experimental manipulations
on animals regardless of their
expertise, must be qualified
through training and experience
to accomplish these specific
tasks in a humane and scientifically justified manner. Training
and experience can come from
formal degreed and non-degreed
programs, workshops, continuing
education labs, and on-the-job
training. Individuals whom are
not listed on a protocol or have
not submitted a qualification
form must be supervised at all
times by a qualified individual.
The Principal Investigator or Supervisor is responsible for ensuring that everyone under his or
her direction who works with animals is adequately trained and
fulfills the following requirements
- Complete the PACUC Orientation Program, Examine Website
Materials on Occupational Health
and Safety Training, Satisfy
REM’s Requirements for the
Handling of Controlled Substances, if applicable, Be informed (where applicable) about
the provision of veterinary care,
keeping health records, handling
of expired medical materials, or
handling of pharmaceuticalgrade compounds, and Be Certified as Qualified on a PACUC
Qualification Form.
Purdue Animal Care and Use
Committee will allow anyone
whom has been trained and
qualified to perform a specific
task to act as a trainer, provided
that each training session is
documented on the Hands-On
Training form. Each lab should
keep training records on file and
readily available if requested by
the USDA, AAALAC, PACUC, etc.
http://www.purdue.edu/
research/vpr/rschadmin/
rschoversight/animals/forms/
Hands_On_Training_Form.doc
http://www.purdue.edu/
research/vpr/rschadmin/
rschoversight/animals/forms/
Qform_online_version_10_05.do
c
All training must be documented
on the qualification form and
submitted to the PACUC office.
Purdue University’s Laboratory
Animal Program can assist you
with your training needs by either
providing the training, or coordinating the training with individuals on campus whom have the
expertise in the area desired.
You are encouraged to call Carol
Dowell – 765-494-2521, or [email protected] to discuss your
training needs.
Carol Dowell
Training Coordinator
Upcoming 2008 PACUC Meetings
Meeting Date
Deadline for Protocol Submission
June 18
May 28 @ 5:00 pm
July 16
June 25 @ 5:00 pm
August 20
July 30 @ 5:00 pm