Research Protocol

Due to the various restrictions placed on utilizing animals in research and teaching by federal agencies, an application for Live Animal Use in Research must be completed and approved by the IACUC prior to ordering animals for the project or class. You can apply at usu.kuali.co/protocols.

The Laboratory Animal Research Center offers its services on a first-come, first-serve basis. In order to avoid delays in initiating research projects and so that cages and space are available when needed, the investigator should make arrangements with the supervisor as early as possible. For those protocols that require an unusually large number of cages or an unusual type of equipment that is not readily available at the Center, the length of time necessary to obtain equipment may be three to six months. Funds for purchasing new equipment are provided by the Vice President for Research. This source of funding is limited. Arrangements for specialized equipment should be made by the principal investigator prior to submission of grants.

Once the experimental procedure has been developed and formalized, the following steps should be implemented to initiate the research:

  • Complete a USU “Application for Live Animal Use in Research, Teaching and Training” form. Available at usu.kuali.co/protocols.
  • Submit the completed application to the University IACUC. It takes approximately three to four weeks to review proposals.
  • Upon receiving notification of approval from the IACUC, contact the Supervisor of the LARC to make the necessary arrangements to utilize the facility.
  • Once the protocol is approved and caging and space are available, the animals can be ordered. The minimum amount of time between ordering animals and their arrival is up to a week or longer, depending on the source.
  • Animals are received at the LARC on Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday. Upon arrival, all animals are quarantined for at least 24 hours. Some animals are held in quarantine longer, depending on the species, source, and investigator’s needs.
  • All cages and/or racks holding newly arrived animals are identified with cage cards indicating investigator, IACUC approval (project) number, animal species or strain, date of arrival, number and sex of animal.
  • After the quarantine period, the animals will be moved to a designated area and released to the investigator to initiate the experimental regime.
  • At the completion of the project, the investigator should return all cages and equipment and remove all personal equipment from the room unless other arrangements have been made.

*The application will also need to be submitted to the University Safety Committee if the proposal involves hazardous agents.