Any person(s) planning to use non-human vertebrate animals in research or teaching project must complete an Animal Utilization Project Protocol (AUPP), which is submitted to the Animal Care Committee (ACC) for review and approval. The ACC meets three times per year. Submission of the AUPP should be made at least one month prior to the anticipated start date of the project. Approved applications are normally valid for one year from the approval date. For each research project, three Annual Renewals are permitted before a new AUPP needs to be submitted even if the project is not completed. Minor changes to an approved protocol can be made using the Request to Revise form.
All sections of the AUPP must be completed regardless of whether the project covers research or teaching activities unless otherwise noted. Insert a N/A where the requested information does not apply.
Please forward one original copy of the AUPP, with all signatures and dates, and an electronic copy (no signatures necessary) to:
Animal Care Coordinator
Room 2138, CHN
acc@uwindsor.ca
Handwritten AUPPs will NOT be accepted.
Once the proposal has been assigned an AUPP number, been approved by the ACC and signed by the ACC Chair, Veterinarian, and Community Representative, a copy will be forwarded to the researcher.
Project Information
A brief title is requested which describes the nature of the project and the species to be used.
If the project is a renewal of an approved project, this should be noted with the appropriate number of the previous AUPP.
The anticipated start date of the project should be listed keeping in mind that the review process of the ACC typically is three weeks. An anticipated completion date should also be noted realizing that approval of an AUPP extends for a one-year period from the approval date. However, an Annual Renewal still needs to be submitted by January 31st of the calendar year in time for the spring ACC meeting and to provide statistics which are forwarded to the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
The name and phone number of an appropriate person who can be contacted in an emergency, which occurs after hours, on the weekend, or when the Principal Investigator is on vacation, should be listed. The name and number of an alternate contact person should also be included in the case of an emergency where the first contact person is not available.
All persons (e.g. faculty, students, and/or other researchers) involved with the project should be listed with the departments and contact numbers. These individuals should have read and understood the protocol, and this may require the investigator to go over aspects of the protocol with them.
Sections of the AUPP
The following lettering sequence pertains to the corresponding section in the AUPP.
Describe the qualifications and experiences of all personnel listed on the AUPP. Please ensure that all researchers have attended the University of Windsor Animal User Training Program.
Purpose of Project: The intended use of the animals covered under the AUPP (i.e. research or teaching purposes) must be noted.
Level of Project: The level of the project should be indicated.
Field Work Involving Wild Animals: If the AUPP covers field work and animals that will not be housed on campus, then sections C, I. J and M of the AUPP do not need to be completed. However, the researcher will also need to complete the Field Work Involving Wild Animals form.
This section must be completed by the Course Instructor/Faculty Supervisor for any undergraduate or graduate teaching or research project which involves the use of live vertebrate animals. Details of arrangements for student supervision/instruction must be clearly described. An explanation of why this project must be Ahands-on@ and what alternatives to vertebrate animals have been considered must be offered.
Lay Summary: A description of approximately 250 words is required by the CCAC and should describe, in lay terminology, the procedures and methods to be used under this AUPP.
All methods and procedures including experimental and surgical manipulations to be used on the animals must be described sequentially and in detail. A detailed description should be offered of each procedure and any potential adverse affects. All procedures that could cause pain or distress to the animals must be summarized in this section with details of measures to be taken to alleviate or minimize the effects of the pain. An indication of the criteria that would trigger ending the procedures and/or the study or the euthanizing of animal(s) affected is requested. If you need more information on endpoints, please read the CCAC guidelines on: choosing an appropriate endpoint in experiments using animals for research, teaching and testing available on their website: www.ccac.ca.
This section provides information on the scientific objectives of the project as well as on its potential value with respect to both human and animal health. It also requests details about what information gaps the project is intended to fill. It clarifies that alternatives to the use of live animals were considered and what the rationale was for the rejection of the alternatives. In general, a simple statement that there are no alternatives will not suffice. These details are requested by the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
Details concerning the funding status of the project, including agency names are requested.
Details about the status of the project with respect to the peer-review process are requested. This information may be omitted if the AUPP corresponds to a teaching project. If not peer reviewed by the funding agency, then a letter of support will be mandatory
This section enables accurate information to be provided to the CCAC on animal use within each protocol, and requests accurate information on the number of animals which will be required for this project for a one year period. Numbers from all sources (i.e. purchased, bred on site and donated) should be included. An explanation for this anticipated number should be offered.
For renewal projects, details on numbers of animals used from each source (i.e. purchased, bred on site, donated) during the previous year are requested.
An explanation for any variation in numbers of animals from the previous to current AUPP is required.
Source/Supplier of Animals: All sources from which the animals will be obtained must be specified.
Animals may only be housed in facilities that have been approved for this purpose. Lighting, ventilation, and caging must conform to the CCAC requirements as outlined in Revised Volume 1, Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals (see Chapter III). Attention must be paid to the social and behavioural needs of the animals, and provisions should be made for environmental enrichment. Recommendations for enrichment devices for different species can be found in Volume 1 of the Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals, Chapter VI.
The AUPP should be classified as Acute or Chronic. Explanations for Acute and Chronic are provided on the AUPP form.
The final disposal of the animals used under a given AUPP must be clearly described. In the interest of reducing the numbers of animals used in research and teaching, the ACC encourages researchers to consider retaining animals for future projects where appropriate. Animals may also be transferred between AUPPs with prior approval from the ACC. However, animals must not be transferred between facilities under any circumstances.
Euthanasia of animals must be completed by a person with appropriate training and using a procedure that is approved for the particular species (see CCAC Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals, Revised Volume 1, Chapter XII).
Details on the use of any radioactive, biological, infectious and/or chemical/noxious agents must be supplied, together with information on safeguards in place to respect the other animals and handlers.
Researcher/Course Instructor’s Declaration
The signature of the Principal Investigator is required. If the research is a student’s project, then the student’s signature plus the student’s supervisor are both required. The protocol should be signed before it is submitted to the ACC, if possible.