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IACUC and Animal Welfare Resources: Animal Care and Use at Mount Sinai

Animal Care and Use at Mount Sinai

At Mount Sinai, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) works with the Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery (CCMS) to oversee the use of animals in research, testing and teaching. An IACUC is required by law in most institutions that use animals in research. One of the responsibilities of the IACUC is to maintain ethical and humane practices in the use of animals in research. 

For more information on Mount Sinai's IACUC and CCMS, please see below:

The Research Roadmap

Provided by Mount Sinai's Office of Research Services, the research roadmap is designed to support researchers in navigating the research infrastructure in the Mount Sinai Health System. Below, you will find a link to the "Basic Science" portion of the research roadmap with a focus on biological sciences and disease. 

IACUC Protocol Requirements

The IACUC protocol is a detailed description of the proposed activities in the use of animals in research. Researchers should consult with experts prior to writing the protocol including Statisticians and Librarians with support in constructing the experimental design and literature search. Investigators must have IACUC approval prior to initiating any research.

While there is no standardized procedure for constructing the protocol, ALL protocols must contain the following information: 

  • The Experimental Design: 
    • What are the goals of the research?
    • Define the experiments used in the protocol 
    • Does the research include survival surgery? If so, is it more than once?
  • Animal Justification: 
    • What is the rationale of using animals in the research? Include additional details such as number of animals that will be used and why? What is the adjusted number of animals that will be used compared to the number identified and why?
    • Alternatives 
      • Record the searches of previous research that the protocol is duplicating 
      • Identify additional references for locating alternatives 
      • In accordance with the 3R's can alternative methods be used in the experimental design

Once the protocol has been completed, investigators must submit the protocol to the eIACUC system. For information how to submit the protocol, please see below: 

Need Help?

Researchers may wish to consult with Librarians or Statisticians as you plan your research. If you would like guidance on searching the literature for information or would like to discuss your study design or sample size with a statistician, please see one of the services below to schedule a consultation.