Case Study Review: The Effects of Alcohol on Rats

All individuals conducting experiments using live animals must have had adequate experience and received appropriate training. As this is the investigator’s first time conducting research involving animals, at UNH she must receive training from the Animal Resources Office staff on the humane care and use of animals prior to acquiring and using animals, and adequate training from individuals (at UNH or elsewhere) who have experience with the procedures. During its review of the protocol, the IACUC will check to make sure that the investigator has specified how, and from whom, she will obtain appropriate training.

Like the investigator, the graduate student must receive appropriate training in the care and use of rats and with the specific procedures used in the project. When reviewing this protocol, the IACUC will undoubtedly have concerns about the researchers’ lack of experience with the procedures and rats. Approval will be contingent on in-depth training of both researchers prior to starting the study, as well as ongoing supervision of the animal work

At UNH, all animals must be maintained in an animal care facility certified, or otherwise approved, by the IACUC. All animal care facilities must meet pertinent federal and state regulations, policies, and laws. As neither the investigator nor the graduate student has any experience with the care of rats, the IACUC will require the investigator to house the animals in the department’s animal facility. In addition, keeping research animals in a laboratory where human subjects or other members of the public come and go may be unsafe, and is generally inappropriate.

As the investigator has not conducted experiments involving animals before, at UNH she needs to receive training from the Animal Resources Office (ARO) staff before acquiring and using the animals. In addition to discussing the experimental procedures with colleagues who have relevant experience, and consulting the ARO staff, the investigator needs to conduct a thorough literature search. This literature search should demonstrate that less painful/distressful alternatives to the proposed animal use/procedures are not available, the study does not unnecessarily duplicate previous studies, and alternatives to animal use were considered.

The number of animals requested by the investigator must be the minimum to obtain valid results. In accordance with the principles of Reduction and Refinement, the IACUC will require the investigator to explain how she arrived at her requested number, and will only approve the minimum number of animals necessary to answer the research question. However, if the investigator needs additional animals after using the number approved for the study, she can submit a modification request to the IACUC to seek approval for additional animals.

Whenever procedures may cause more than momentary pain or distress, the investigator must assess the animals’ condition and provide treament with appropriate anesthetics/analgesics (often administered by the ARO). Without adequate documentation, the investigator’s reason for not employing these procedures (assumption that alcohol will lessen any perceived pain) would, in all likelihood, be rejected by the IACUC.

The other faculty member’s request to use the animals in a study after the investigator has finished her experiments is in keeping with the principle of getting as much reasonable use from an animal as possible. However, these rats will already have experienced minor pain or distress; therefore, the IACUC will want to know exactly what procedures the rats will undergo in the subsequent study in order to assess the animals’ future well-being. Moreover, the second faculty member must have his own IACUC approval in place for the project he intends to carry out using the rats, prior to receiving them from the first investigator.