Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs): Regulatory Requirements | 339 INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEES (IACUCS): REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS Since 1985, U S regulatory agencies have required most institutions and facilities involved in animal research to establish Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) These committees are responsible for reviewing animal research proposals, inspecting animal housing and laboratory areas, and monitoring programs related to scientific uses of animals The two major U.S regulatory systems governing laboratory animal use, the Animal Welfare Act, and the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, require IACUCs Both systems have similar requirements for IACUC membership, duties, and authority Committees must have at least three members At least one doctor of veterinary medicine must serve on the committee In addition, at least one person on the committee must have no other affiliation with the research institution According to the Animal Welfare Act, this person should “provide representation for general community interests in the proper care and treatment of animals.” Before a research project involving animals can go forward, it must be reviewed by the IACUC The Animal Welfare Act and the Public Health Service Policy direct committees to ensure that laboratory animal pain, discomfort, and distress are reduced through the use of anesthetics, analgesics, tranquilizers, and humane killing methods Committees must also determine that no scientifically acceptable alternatives to painful or distressing procedures on animals are available Committees must consider whether a scientist has chosen an appropriate species and number of animals for the project as well Finally, committees are to apply the following principle: “procedures involving animals should be designed and performed with due consideration of their relevance to human or animal health, the advancement of knowledge, or the good of society.” There are advantages and disadvantages of IACUCs The federal government has often adopted a system of institutional committee oversight to address ethical issues in research Institutional committees were first adopted in the 1970s as a means of monitoring research involving human subjects Institutional committees are also used to address problems involving scientific misconduct and financial conflicts of interest affecting researchers Committee oversight systems reduce government expenses by assigning most of the monitoring responsibilities to research institutions, rather than to government officials Researchers are also more likely to respect and cooperate with a committee of their colleagues than with a group of government outsiders Although committees must comply with certain general rules, they have a great deal of flexibility and freedom to tailor the rules to their specific institution’s situation The committee’s mixed membership is intended to allow diverse values to shape ethical decision making The hope is that this approach will produce reasonable positions on a variety of controversial bioethical issues Yet the committee system has its critics as well Institutions bear financial and other burdens of administering the