Animal Care and Use Across Multiple Institutions
Obtaining and ensuring appropriate review, approval, and oversight of research involving animals can introduce significant challenges and delays for investigators and institutions, especially if review and approval must be sought from multiple Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs).
Institutions may choose to streamline IACUC review and oversight1 for collaborative, multisite research projects by establishing a formal written reliance agreement to address responsibilities for animal care, use, and ownership. However, setting up separate, protocol-specific agreements can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process.
To address this problem, Harvard Catalyst’s Regulatory Foundations, Ethics, and Law program has developed an IACUC Agreement that may be used for IACUC reliance on a protocol-by-protocol basis. The agreement has been signed by 18 Harvard affiliates and others. Additional IACUC templates for use with non-signatories and vendors have been developed to assist institutions and researchers in off-site animal research arrangements.
Harvard Catalyst Agreement and Template Agreements for Animal Care and Use
The Reciprocal Institutional Agreement for Animal Care and Use (“IACUC Agreement”) supports the proper care and use of animals involved in multicenter studies among the signatory institutions. It is a formal umbrella agreement designed within a legal framework to reduce duplicative review of animal work.
Signatories
18 institutions currently participate in the IACUC Agreement:
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) |
| Boston Children’s Hospital | Joslin Diabetes Center |
| Brigham and Women’s Hospital | Massachusetts Eye & Ear |
| Broad Institute | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Forsyth Institute | McLean Hospital |
| Harvard Medical School (HMS) | MGH Institute of Health Professions |
| Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health | Schepens Eye Research Institute |
| Harvard School of Dental Medicine | Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital |
Examples of the IACUC Agreement in action
Example 1: Animal work performed off-site
In this example, the research involves animal activities in one location that is funded by a different institution. By utilizing the IACUC Agreement, one institution (e.g., the institution receiving the funds) may choose to defer review to the other (usually the one doing the animal work).
Example 2: Subcontracted work
In this example, the researcher is outsourcing the animal work to another signatory institution with the appropriate expertise and facilities for the animal model. By utilizing the IACUC Agreement, one institution may choose to perform the IACUC review and provides oversight for the research, so that administrative burden for the researcher as well as the institution is reduced.
Example 1: Animal work performed off-site
In this example, the research involves animal activities in one location that is funded by a different institution. By utilizing the IACUC Agreement, one institution (e.g., the institution receiving the funds) may choose to defer review to the other (usually the one doing the animal work).
Example 2: Subcontracted work
In this example, the researcher is outsourcing the animal work to another signatory institution with the appropriate expertise and facilities for the animal model. By utilizing the IACUC Agreement, one institution may choose to perform the IACUC review and provides oversight for the research, so that administrative burden for the researcher as well as the institution is reduced.
You may use or modify the following templates with non-signatory institutions or vendors to speed the conduct of research involving animals while ensuring that all research is conducted ethically and with the appropriate oversight.
Template IACUC Agreement 1: Off-site Assurance
(Request by emailing regulatory@catalyst.harvard.edu)
For use with institutions that are NOT signatories of the IACUC Agreement.
Example:
In this scenario, the researcher is contracting with a facility to perform animal activities on behalf of Harvard. As the vendor is not a signatory to the IACUC Agreement, the Offsite Assurance Template may be used to establish a written agreement for one institution to assume oversight of the animal work.
Template IACUC Agreement 2: Custom Antibodies
(Request by emailing regulatory@catalyst.harvard.edu)
For use when contracting with a company, vendor, or academic institution for production of antibodies specific to the research.
Example:
In this scenario, the researcher is contracting with a third-party vendor to perform custom antibody services on behalf of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. As the vendor is not a signatory of the IACUC Agreement, the Custom Antibody Agreement Template can be used to establish a written agreement for oversight of the animal work.
Join
Additional signatories may join the IACUC Agreement. Interested in joining? Please email regulatory@catalyst.harvard.edu for more information.
Contact
To share your ideas for IACUC agreements, templates, and forms, or for more information about the IACUC Agreement, please email regulatory@catalyst.harvard.edu.
To request any of the above documents be made accessible please email communications@catalyst.harvard.edu.