Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee 

Welcome

The NUS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) was set up on 12 November 2004 to oversee the care and use of animals for scientific purposes in NUS.

Members of the IACUC are appointed through the Institutional Official and include veterinarians, scientists, non-scientists and members of the community who are not affiliated to NUS.

The mission of the IACUC is to achieve the best practice by international standards of animal ethics in all animal care and use programmes in NUS. Towards this goal, the IACUC:

1. evaluates animal use in research, teaching, field trials, environmental and behavioural studies, diagnosis, product testing and the production of biological materials, through the review of animal use protocols;

2. ensures the housing and care of animals are provided in accordance with the National Advisory Committee for laboratory Animal Research (NACLAR) Guidelines (Guidelines on the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes) in facilities licensed by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), the regulatory body of the Singapore Animals and Birds Act;

3. ensures the personnel involved in care and use of animals are suitably qualified and trained, through the training programme of the Comparative Medicine (CM);

4. liaises with the Office of Safety, Health and Environment (OSHE) on occupational safety and health programme in animal care and use protocols;

5. liaises with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) on the ethical use of human tissues in animal use protocols;

6. conducts semi-annual inspection of animal housing facilities and semi-annual review of animal care and use programmes; and

7. conducts regular inspections of animal use facilities and laboratories to ensure compliance of approved animal use protocols.