When is IACUC protocol approval required?

  • For all research or teaching activities to be conducted with live vertebrate animals owned by or housed at Juniata, or using internal or external funds administered through Juniata.
  • For research or teaching activities to be conducted with free-living vertebrate wildlife if studies involve more than unobtrusive observation of animals in their natural habitats.
  • For research and teaching activities in which animals will be euthanized, or for activities in which whole body dead animals are purchased.

Activities that do not require IACUC protocol approval include:

  • Research and teaching activities using whole body dead animals for which the recipient will not influence the timing or method of euthanasia, and which are not purchased. Note that federal and state regulations may apply, and any hazards must be mitigated (i.e., protective equipment may be necessary to safely collect roadkilled animals with potential zoonoses).
  • Examples of situations that do not require an IACUC protocol include use of:
    • Unused or discarded carcasses when the recipient has no influence over the timing or method of euthanasia. However: 1) carcasses must be obtained legally following state and federal regulations (including the investigator obtaining appropriate permits), and 2) the IACUC chair must be informed of the source(s) of animals.
    • Unused or discarded clinical samples.
    • Slaughterhouse tissues when the animal was not slaughtered specifically for the activity.
    • Archival tissues from tissue banks, museum collections or similar sources.
    • Whole body specimens from museum collections.
    • Field or wildlife studies which are unobtrusive observations of animals in their natural habitats.