IACUC (SOP)

IACUC STANDARD OPERATING PROOCEDURE

OBJECTIVE
This SOP is to ensure quality, a more effective and consistent ethical review mechanism of the Institutional Animal care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol that will be dealt with so to prevent infliction of unnecessary pain and injury before, during  and after experiment on animal subjects.

GENERAL POLICY
• The Council for Scientific and Industrial research (CSIR) recognizes the moral dilemma posed by the use of sentient animals (i.e. animal which can feel sensations and experience emotions) for research, teaching or testing.  It subscribes to the ethics of only supporting studies which promise to contribute to the understanding of biology and environmental principles to the acquisition of knowledge that can reasonably be expected to benefit humans, animals and the environment.
• It recognizes that all vertebrate animals are protected by law and that it may be an offense to kill or interfere with the well-being of the animals for scientific and educational purpose without justification which is ratified by a formal process ethical review.
• It insists that animal may only be used when researcher’s best effort to find a non-sentient alternatives have been unsuccessful.
• It requires optimal standards of animal health and care to be observed to provide good quality that enhance credibility and productivity.
• It requires the ‘three R’ principles of reduction, replacement and refinement’ to be adhered to in the conduct and planning of animals studies. These uphold the principles and practice of using the most humane method of the smallest number of animal that will permit valid scientific information to be acquired.

FOR WHOM THE GUIDELINE ARE INTENDED
These guidelines apply to the use of sentient animal for research teaching and testing within CSIR and Ghana. They are applicable to all CSIR staff who are occupationally involved in the production, care and use of laboratory animal and to scientists and educators whose research, teaching and testing on is done in collaboration with CSIR or with financial other support from CSIR and its employees.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

• It is accepted sentient and non-human animals have the capacity to experience a range of physical sensations and emotions and are therefore subjects of moral concern.
• Laboratory animals should be able to live, grow, produce and interact under conditions and circumstances in which their species specific needs are met. Special considerations should be given to the needs of social animals and animals which have adapted to special circumstances or environment (e.g. nocturnal animals, marine animals etc).
• Experimental procedures which may cause hunger, thirst, injury, disease, discomfort, fear, distress, deprivation or pain must be design to keep exposure of animals of those conditions minimal.
• Replacement of sentient animal or non-sentient research model or system in order to eliminate the use of animals that can experience sensations.
• Reduction of the numbers in animals in experiment by design strategies that facilitates the use of smallest number that will allow valid information to be obtained from the studies.
• Refinement of animal sourcing, animal care practices and experimental procedures to minimized or remove physical and psychological distress within the limitations imposed by the requirements of the research.

LABORATORY ANIMAL ETHICS

All scientists working with laboratory animals must have a deep ethical consideration for the
animals they are dealing with. From the ethical point of view it is important that such
considerations are taken care of at the individual level, at institutional level and finally at the national level.

INSTITUTIONAL BIO-SAFETY COMMITTEE (IBSC)

Institutional Bio-safety Committee (IBSC) is to be constituted in all centers engaged in genetic
engineering research & production activities. The committee will constitute the following.
• Head of Institution/his nominee
• 3 or more scientists engaged  in DNA work/molecular biology with an external expert in the relevant discipline
• A member with Medical Qualification (Bio-safety Officer) in case of work with pathogenic agent
• One member nominee by DMB

The Institutional Bio-safety Committee shall be the point for interaction within institution for
implementation of the guidelines. Any research project which is likely to have bio-hazard potential (as envisaged by the guidelines) during the execution stage or which involve the production of either micro-organisms or biologically active molecules that might cause bio-hazard should be notified to ISBC. ISBC will allow genetic engineering activity on classified organisms only at places where such work should be performed as per guidelines. Provision of suitable safe storage facility of donor, vectors, recipients and other materials involved in experimental work should be made and may be subjected to inspection on accountability.

The bio-safety functions and activity include the following:
(i) Registration of Bio-safety Committee membership composition and submission of report.
(ii) Review and clearance of project proposals failing under restricted category that meets the requirements under the guidelines on accidents, risks and on deviations if any. IACUC would make efforts to issue clearance certificate quickly on receiving the research proposals from investigators.
(iii) Tailoring bio-safety program to the level of risk assessment
(iv) Training of personnel on bio safety

PENALTIES
If any person/institution contravenes any order made by IACUC/commits a breach any
conditions imposed by committee punishable accordingly: He/She may be punishable with fine which may extended to /- and when the contravention or breach of conditions has taken place in any institutions, the person, In charge of institution shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be punishable accordingly.

CONTRACT ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS
Amendment of Rule-12, in the breeding and experiments on animal Rule 1998, this rule has been amended to allow to establishment to undertake contract research as per provision of  PCA-Act 1980, and the rules made their under.

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