Animal Care and Use Committees (ACUCs)

The University Animal Policy and Welfare Committee (UAPWC) has established several Animal Care and Use Committees (ACUCs) to ensure that our animal care and use practices meet or exceed the guidelines set by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC).

These committees are essential in upholding the highest standards of ethical animal research and operate according to the University’s Animal Ethics Policy and Procedures, utilizing the Alberta Research Information Services (ARISE) system for oversight and review.

Roles and Responsibilities of ACUCs

ACUCs are responsible for reviewing all studies involving animal use. Each study is reviewed by the committee with the most relevant expertise and the closest connection to the Animal Services Unit that will provide veterinary oversight. In situations where there is overlapping expertise, ACUCs may refer applications to one another and consult with other committee members or animal services personnel to ensure a thorough and informed review. The final decision on which ACUC will review a study rests with the committees themselves.

Composition of ACUCs

According to CCAC guidelines, the composition of ACUCs is designed to ensure a broad and balanced representation of expertise. Each committee typically includes:

Scientists and Researchers

Individuals with experience in animal-based research.

Veterinarians

Providing expert oversight on animal health and welfare.

Institutional Non-Animal Users

Members who bring a non-scientific perspective to ensure ethical considerations are met.

Community Representatives

Individuals from outside the institution to provide a public viewpoint.

Animal Facility Representatives

Personnel who manage the day-to-day care of the animals.

These diverse roles ensure that all aspects of animal welfare and ethical research are thoroughly considered in the review process.

Collaborations

Collaborative research and partnerships with other institutions and countries also undergo a thorough review process by the University's Animal Care and Use Committees (ACUC).

This document (Guidelines for Animal Research Involving Two or More Institutions) outlines some potential scenarios that can arise in collaborative research (UAPWC 2016), and how the ACUC will handle the review and approval.

See also CCAC Policy on Animal-based Projects Involving Two or More Institutions and related FAQs and Tri-Agency Agreement .

Cross Cancer Institute (CCI)

The Cross Cancer Institute (CCI), part of Alberta Health Services (AHS), has its own CCAC-accredited animal care and use program. Special arrangements are in place to streamline protocol approvals for studies conducted at both CCI and the University. 

University faculty in the Department of Oncology conducting their entire study at CCI should apply to the CCI Animal Care Committee (CCI ACC) Health Sciences. Those conducting their study at HSLAS should apply to the ACUC.

For studies involving both HSLAS and CCI facilities, applications should be submitted via ARISE to the ACUC Health Sciences.

Amendments to studies already approved in ARISE to include work at CCI should be prepared in ARISE, with CCI ACC input obtained during the review process.