Satellite Animal Housing Facilities

SUBJECT:

Satellite Animal Housing Facilities

 Effective Date:
August 25, 2023		 Policy Number:
10.4.4
听 Supersedes:
November 19, 2021
November 30, 2018
March 30, 2018
June 24, 2016
August 22, 2014		 Page 1 of 6
听 Responsible Authorities:
Principal Investigator
Vice President, Research
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Assistant Vice President for Research, Research Integrity
Assistant Vice President for Research, Comparative Medicine
  1. Background

    The Animal Welfare Act and accompanying Regulations (9 Code of Federal Regulations) provide detailed specifications for the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of regulated animals used in research and teaching. Similarly, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide) states that proper housing and management of animal facilities (including satellite facilities) are essential to animal well-being, to the quality of research data, and teaching or testing programs in which animals are used, and to the health and safety of personnel. In addition, the U.S. Government Principles (Principle VII) require that the living conditions of animals should be appropriate for their species and contribute to their health and comfort. The institution must assure that all areas where animals are housed comply with the relevant guidelines and regulations.

  2. Purpose

    To ensure that Satellite Animal Housing Facilities are created and used only when scientifically or otherwise justified and that such facilities meet regulatory standards and guidelines. This applies to Comparative Medicine (CM)-managed and Investigator-managed facilities.

  3. General Statement

    Appropriate animal housing and management essentially influence animal wellbeing, the quality of animal research, teaching or testing as well as the health and safety of personnel. The Guide states that an appropriate animal care and use program "provides environments, housing, and management that are well suited for the species or strains of animals maintained and takes into account their physical, physiologic, and behavioral needs, allowing them to grow, mature, and reproduce normally while providing for their health and well-being". A Satellite Animal Housing Facility must comply with the same regulations as Centralized Facilities.

  4. Policy
    1. All animals must be housed in FAU Centralized Facilities provided through and managed by CM.
    2. Exceptions require prior approval by the FAU IACUC. Approval will be granted on a case-by-case basis only if scientific or other justification is provided describing why the FAU Centralized Facilities cannot reasonably meet the research objectives of a particular protocol(s) or the environmental requirements of the species, and only after inspection of the proposed Satellite Facility.
    3. Any new Satellite Housing Facility application, or its renewal application, must be accompanied by a statement of institutional support and an assurance of financial support, confirmed through signed statements from the relevant Department Chair, Dean of the relevant college or his/her designee and the Vice President for Research.
    4. All Satellite Animal Housing Facilities housing warm-blooded mammalian vertebrate species regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) must be managed by CM.
    5. All Satellite Animal Housing Facilities, whether CM or Investigator Managed, must be maintained in accordance with applicable regulations and guidelines.
    6. Responsible individuals of all Satellite Animal Housing Facilities, whether CM or Investigator Managed, must keep records as required by applicable regulations, guidelines, and policies.
    7. Housing and care of animals in Investigator Managed Satellite Facilities must be based on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) created by the responsible investigator and approved by the IACUC.
    8. Access to Satellite Animal Housing Facilities (via key or electronic access) must be provided to the Research Integrity (RI) office and CM.
  5. Definitions

    Centralized Facilities are multi-species, multi-user animal housing facilities provided through and managed by the Office of CM.

    Satellite Animal Housing Facility is the term that refers to any location where animals are housed outside the CM-managed Centralized Facilities for more than 12 hours. Housing does not include experimental procedures performed which must be described in the IACUC approved protocol.

    CM-Managed Satellite Animal Housing Facility is a Satellite Animal Housing Facility managed by the Office of Comparative Medicine.

    Investigator-Managed Satellite Animal Housing Facility is a Satellite Animal Housing Facility managed by the research faculty/staff.

  6. Accountability

    The Principal Investigator (PI) will be responsible for:

    • Providing scientific or other justification for the need to house animals for outside central facilities provided and managed by the Office of Comparative Medicine (CM).
    • Ensuring appropriate training of personnel and documentation in accordance with relevant 最大资源采集网 (FAU) policies and guidelines related to maintaining animals outside CM central facilities for longer than 12 hours.
    • Assuring that procedures are performed as described in the Satellite Facilities Housing Application, the Satellite Facility's SOPs as well as corresponding IACUC protocol and if necessary submitting relevant documents and await approval before new method(s) will be introduced.
    • Creating and implementing a disaster plan for the Satellite Facility and arranging after hours monitoring/alarm mechanisms (e.g., through Facilities Control Room, Sensaphone etc.).
    • Keeping all required records easily accessible to the IACUC, outside regulatory agencies and staff of RI and CM including the AV.
    • Assuring and working with the IACUC that an initial and final IACUC site inspection is performed before animals can be housed.
    • Assuring that fiscal resources are available for the creation and maintenance of the facility.

    The Department Chair and Dean will be responsible for:

    • Indicating awareness of the request via signature of the application.
    • Reviewing the application, supporting the scientific or other strategic need for a satellite facility and the proposed resource allocation.
    • Further agreeing to perform the appropriate department/college level review and oversight.

    The Vice President for Research (VPR) will be responsible for:

    • Functioning as the Institutional Official for the FAU Animal Care and Use Program.
    • Providing overall oversight and assures compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

    The IACUC will be responsible for:

    • Considering all circumstances pertaining to the request for a Satellite Animal Housing Facility, including but not limited to scientific or other justification and adequacy of physical facilities and procedures as described in SOPs.
    • Providing appropriate oversight to ensure animal well-being and compliance with regulatory requirements and guidelines. Reviewing and approving, requiring modifications in (to secure approval) or withholding approval of IACUC protocols and/or amendments.
    • Reviewing and approving SOPs of the Satellite Animal Housing Facility.
    • Providing oversight for all animal procedures conducted including housing and care of animals and developing and directing an appropriate training program
    • Conducting an initial and a final IACUC site inspection along with all semi-annual and other appropriate inspections of the facilities.

    The Research Integrity (RI) / IACUC office will be responsible for:

    • Serving as a liaison between the IACUC and PIs to ensure that the facility and care proposed/provided are consistent with regulatory requirements.
    • Administrative support of the IACUC members to facilitate their regulatory function including organizing review of documents and site visits.
    • Maintaining policy and assuring regular review and update as necessary by the IACUC.

    The Office of Comparative Medicine (CM) will be responsible for:

    • Overseeing the program of veterinary care provided to 最大资源采集网 (FAU) animals used in Satellite Animal Housing Facilities as required by Federal regulations/guidelines.
    • Veterinary staff will make periodic visits to the Investigator Managed Satellite Facility(s) to ensure proper health of animals is noted.
  7. Procedures
    1. The PI must submit the following to the Research Integrity Office:
      1. The Satellite Animal Facility Application (Appendix I).
      2. The Satellite Animal Facility Description (Appendix II).
      3. An SOP describing the procedures for animal care and husbandry, and maintenance of the proposed Satellite Animal Facility.
    2. The proposed Satellite Animal Facility must be inspected and approved by the IACUC.
    3. The RI office and CM will determine what elements of the Satellite Animal Facility Description (Appendix II) must be completed. The decision will be made based on the nature of the housing and whether the Satellite Animal Housing Facility will be Investigator or CM-Managed. Information obtained will be used to assess compliance with regulatory standards and guidelines. For Investigator-Managed facilities the information will also be used for inclusion in the FAU Animal Care & Use Program Description (required for accreditation by the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International; AAALAC) if applicable.
    4. An IACUC subcommittee which will include the Attending Veterinarian (AV), or his/her designee will review submitted documentation and visit the facility. When it has been determined that the physical facility and proposed animal care procedures meet regulatory and accreditation requirements, the subcommittee will make a recommendation to the IACUC for final approval.
    5. The request will be considered at a convened meeting of a quorum of the IACUC. Approval requires a majority vote. The PI will be notified in writing of the IACUC's preliminary approval of the facility. Animals cannot be housed in the facility until final approval is obtained in writing.
    6. The PI of the proposed Investigator-Managed Satellite Animal Housing Facility will be notified in writing of the final approval of the facility. Animals can be housed in the facility only after receipt of final approval.
    7. In order to ensure compliance in Investigator-Managed Satellite Animal Housing Facilities, these facilities will be subject to the following additional requirements:
      1. Periodic visits by veterinary staff to assure health of the animals depending on species, health history, and experiments in which the animals are enrolled as determined by the AV.
      2. Monthly reporting by the Principal Investigators of the Satellite Facilities will be required. The reporting template will be emailed to PIs on the first day of each month and responses will be due to the Research Integrity (IACUC) office within 5 working days. The questions to be addressed in the monthly report include:
        • Description of any health-related concerns with research animals
        • Husbandry issues
        • Physical plant issues
      3. Semi-annual site inspections by the IACUC as any other housing site within the FAU animal care and use program.
      4. Triennial Review. PIs will be responsible for submitting a triennial renewal request Satellite Animal Facility Application (Appendix I) and updating the associated Satellite Animal Facility Description (Appendix II). This information is required for periodic assessment by the IACUC of the appropriateness of facilities/procedures and for inclusion in the FAU Animal Care and Use Program Description (required for AAALAC accreditation) if applicable. As part of this review, an HVAC assessment must be completed.
  8. Policy Renewal Date

    August 25, 2026

  9. References
    1. PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
    2. U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research and Training
    3. Animal Welfare Regulations, 9 CFR Ch. 1
    4. Silverman, Jerald, ed., Suckow, Mark A., ed., Murthy, Sreekant., ed. The IACUC HANDBOOK. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC, 2007
    5. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, 8th edition, 2011

POLICY APPROVAL

Initiating Authority

Gregg B. Fields, Ph.D., Interim Vice President for Research

Executed signature pages are available in the Initiating Authority Office(s)