Animal Care & Use News - October 2016

October 27, 2016

We are pleased to announce that the AAALAC Council on Accreditation has extended U-M's probationary accreditation status for an additional six months, effective October 14, 2016. The Council is very pleased with the advances the University has made thus far in implementing a wide array of long-term, campus-wide initiatives to strengthen U-M's Animal Care and Use Program.

By April 1, 2017, leadership will provide AAALAC with a revised Institutional Animal Care & Use Program Description. Upon receipt of the Program Description, AAALAC will conduct a mandatory site re-visit between May and July 2017. Additional details about this site visit, including the specific dates that AAALAC will be on campus, will be provided as they become available.

Ensuring that all faculty and staff use best practices in their research and day-to-day operations continues to be of critical importance to our program's collective success, and in fostering a culture of sustained excellence in animal care and use at the University of Michigan.

It is important to note that, throughout these ongoing discussions with AAALAC, the U-M has remained a fully accredited institution. If you have any questions regarding AAALAC or our accreditation status, please contact the Animal Care & Use Office at [email protected] .

Latest Animal Care & Use Program Activities:

Using Human-Derived Substances?
Learn How New IBC Guidance Could Impact Your Work

In partnership with the Animal Care & Use Program, the department of Occupational Safety & Environmental Health,
and the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM), the U-M Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) has approved new guidance regarding the containment housing practices required for animals administered human-derived substances (tissues, fluids, cells, or cell lines).

In short, all animals that are administered human-derived substances must now be housed under ABSL-2 conditions unless those substances have been documented to be free from blood-borne pathogens and other specific human viruses.

Documentation that the human-derived substances used in your laboratory are free from pathogens of concern is key to being able to house the animals in those studies under routine (ABSL-1) conditions.

If your laboratory is currently working with human-derived substances, it is strongly recommended that you obtain testing documentation from your material provider and/or have the testing completed no later than November 30, 2016. This will enable your laboratory to operate more efficiently and without any unnecessary expenses or delays; it will also enable ULAM to better estimate the number of animals that must now be housed under ABSL-2 conditions, and to prepare accordingly. Additional details on how to request this testing, as well as a list of external vendors offering discounted pricing exclusively to the U-M, is available here.

Testing documentation must be sent to the Animal Care & Use Office so that it can be associated with the relevant animal use protocols. Once your results have been submitted, a Research Compliance Associate will advise if your laboratory should plan to move to ABSL-2 housing.

If your laboratory is not currently using human-derived substances, but plans to do so in the future, please bookmark the IBC Requirement for Animals Administered Human-Derived Substances webpage for information on how to obtain the required documentation and testing.

If you have any questions or concerns about this new guidance, or would like more information on how to obtain the appropriate panel testing, please contact the Animal Care & Use Office at [email protected] or (734) 763-8028.

eRAM, ACU Office Partner to Simplify Animal Use Protocols

In response to feedback from the U-M research community, and in an effort to help relieve some administrative burden on Principal Investigators and their labs, the Animal Care & Use Office has begun work to improve animal protocols in the eResearch Animal Management (eRAM) system.

With the ultimate goal of making protocol submissions less dense and easier to complete, the Animal Care & Use Office will begin implementing changes to eRAM over a series of three phases spanning 6 - 12 months. The first phase, which has already begun, entails the re-wording and deletion of obsolete protocol questions. These updates will occur incrementally over the next three months, with roughly two to three pages of questions being edited and released to eRAM every two weeks.

The first set of updates, which can be reviewed on the Protocol Updates page , went live in eRAM on Monday, October 17. The next set of updates is expected to go live in the system on Monday, October 31. A summary of key changes will be provided in the monthly Animal Care & Use Newsletter as the project progresses. The Protocol Updates page will also be updated as protocol changes are released.

A complete list of eRAM updates, including a link to the Protocol Updates page, can be reviewed via eRAM's Bi-Weekly Release Notes .

Study Teams should be minimally impacted during this work, with the key changes being mainly visual in nature (i.e., re-wording or deletion of protocol questions).

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Animal Care & Use Office at [email protected] or (734) 763-8028.

Thank you for providing us with valuable feedback to help make our collective work more efficient and effective, we look forward to sharing these changes with you soon.

Importation of Biological Materials Workshop on November 30
Offers Unique Learning Opportunity


	Click image to view and download event flyer.

Join U-M's department of Occupational Safety
& Environmental Health , along with representatives from several federal government agencies, on Wednesday, November 30 for a day of networking and exploration of the requirements for international importation of biological shipments for testing and research purposes.

This FREE workshop will be held at U-M's North Campus Research Complex and features representatives from the:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service

As part of this day-long workshop, agency representatives will share their responsibilities, discuss how to prepare materials for proper transport, and how to apply for the necessary permits. Please note that you must pre-register for this event.

Additional details are available on the event flyer, which can be printed and posted in your work area. If you have questions about this event, please contact [email protected] or call (734) 647-3133.

Updated Guidelines and Resources

New Rodent Surgery Templates Now Available

In an effort to increase ease of use, new templates for rodent surgical and post-operative records have been developed to more easily capture required information. For added convenience, the surgical record also contains several pre-fillable fields which may be typed into the record prior to surgery.

The new templates can be found in appendices A (notebook size) and B (cage card size) of the Guidelines on the Performance of Surgery in Rodents .

Animal Fasting Communication Guidance

The Animal Fasting Communication Guidance has been updated to clarify that investigative personnel are solely responsible for the removal and provision of feed prior to, and immediately following, a fasting period for research purposes. Additional guidance allowing for the maintenance of stable social groups if a single, group-housed animal requires fasting is also provided.

Questions or concerns about these or other guidelines, policies, and procedures should be directed to [email protected] or (734) 764-0277.

New ULAM Per Diem Rates Go Into Effect November 1

Collegiality and transparency are central to the service-oriented mission of the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) .
To that end, we want to remind you of upcoming changes to ULAM per-diem rates, effective November 1, 2016.

As the economy has fluctuated and labor and supply costs have increased, ULAM has managed to hold rates steady for three years. In that time, they have:

Expanded facilities and improved housing methods, including the addition
of irradiated food and bedding to protect animals from certain pathogens
Broadened enrichment for all animals to benefit their health and well-being
Increased veterinary staff to provide added clinical and research support

Due to this expansion and increase in service, ULAM has accrued additional expenses that need to be covered by the per-diems as per the NIH's Cost Analysis and Rate Setting Manual for Animal Research Facilities. As a result, rates must be increased in order to continue offering a high standard of care to the University of Michigan research community.

Download the PDF for a list of the revised per-diem rates that have been reviewed and approved by the University's Financial Analysis Office.

Please note that these changes do NOT affect rates for germ-free mice or for housing at the Sheep Research Facility (whose programs are tracked independently).

ULAM staff is available to address any questions or concerns that you may have. They can be contacted directly at [email protected] or (734) 764-0277 .

Erin Czarniak Joins ACU Office as Quality Assurance Specialist

The Animal Care & Use Office is pleased to announce that Erin Czarniak has been appointed to the new role of Quality Assurance Specialist, effective October 10. In this capacity, Erin will serve as an invaluable resource to our scientists as she works with research teams across campus to help them maintain compliant programs.

Erin has been with the University of Michigan for over seven years, including three years as an Animal Care Supervisor in the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine. She has spent the past year and a half developing and implementing a quality assurance program that supports scientists using controlled drugs in research. In her new role, Erin plans to continue forging positive relationships with researchers, and hopes to become a source of encouragement within the sometimes-difficult field of compliance.

Please join us in welcoming Erin to the team!

New Laboratory Member Training is as Easy as 1-2-3

Adding a new member to your laboratory and wondering how to make sure they receive the proper training to begin working with animals? Follow these easy step-by-step instructions:

	Add new laboratory members to the handling details of your protocol Steps for adding personnel via a Personnel Amendment can be found here.
	Within 24 - 48 hours, an individual Learning Plan is created in MLearning based on the roles and responsibilities designated in the person's animal handling details
	The new laboratory member will receive an informational email from MLearning Individuals should log in to MLearning (http://trainingportal.med.umich.edu) to complete all assigned training. Step-by-step instructions for using MLearning can be found here. IACUC-required training should be completed immediately in order for the individual to be approved to the protocol. In-person workshops must be completed within 60 days of assignment in order for the individual to remain on the protocol. Once online courses have been completed, personnel may begin work with animals ONLY under the direct supervision of trained laboratory members. Personnel must complete in-person workshops to independently work with animals.

Attending In-Person Training

Workshop participants will receive a confirmation email with location/room and class details upon registering in MLearning.
Classes start at the scheduled time; participants should plan to arrive early to allow for travel and/or parking time. To reduce interruptions for the welfare of the animals used in training, and to respect the time of fellow participants, individuals who are late will NOT be allowed to attend and must reschedule for the next available session.

Post-Class Training Support

Participants are welcome to return for additional training as needed; training is available for techniques including tail vein injection, oral gavage, and handling and restraint practice.
To request additional training once IACUC requirements are complete, fill out the
ULAM Training Request Form.

Need Help?

Please contact the ULAM Training Core at [email protected] or (734) 763-8039 for training questions and assistance.

Share Your Feedback on Recent Animal User Group Meetings

As part of ongoing efforts to keep our research community apprised of updates and changes within the Animal Care & Use Program, ULAM Faculty Veterinarians recently hosted several animal user group meetings across campus. If you have not already done so, please take a moment to share your feedback about these meetings:

Animal User Group Meeting Feedback

(or paste bit.ly/aug-mtng-feedback into your web browser)

Your insight is valuable and will help us shape future meetings and outreach to the animal care and use community.

Download a summary of key talking points from the meetings , which included a review of standards regarding rodent use, including euthanasia, trio breeding, surgical records, and containment housing for human-derived substances. We also encourage you to share this information with members of your research team.

Correction: An earlier version of this document incorrectly stated that the maximum number of mouse per large mouse box was 10. Please note that the maximum number of mice per large mouse box is 25.

Please contact the faculty veterinarian for your area if you have any additional questions. If you don't know your faculty veterinarian, send an inquiry to [email protected] and your question will be routed appropriately.

Important Deadlines and Reminders

Keeping track of deadlines can be challenging. That's why we've compiled a list of several important deadlines affecting the animal care and use community.

For your convenience, contact information and additional resources are also provided below.

	Final Reminder: Hazardous Agents Administration SOP Implementation LSI, Dental School, School of Public Health, NCRC Thank you for your efforts thus far to ensure a successful rollout of this new SOP. As a final reminder, staff in the facilities listed above must now be compliant with the new "Animals Administered a Hazardous Substance Requiring Containment" SOP . Failure to adhere to these new procedures will now result in non-compliance notifications. Click here for more information.
	New ULAM Per-Diem Rates Go Into Effect Download the PDF for a list of revised per-diem rates that have been reviewed and approved by the University's Financial Analysis Office. Please note that these changes do NOT affect rates for germ-free mice or for housing at the Sheep Research Facility (whose programs are tracked independently). Questions? Contact ULAM at [email protected] or (734) 764-0277.
	Training Requirement Deadline Personnel (Last Name S - Z) Visit the ULAM Training website for more information or contact the ULAM Training Core via email or phone at (734) 763-8039.
	Importation of Biological Materials Workshop Join U-M's department of Occupational Safety & Environmental Health, along with representatives from several federal government agencies, for a day of networking and exploration of the requirements for international importation of biological shipments for testing and research purposes. Additional details are available on the event flyer, which can be printed and posted in your work area. Questions about this event should be directed to [email protected] or (734) 647-3133.
	Testing Documentation Due to Animal Care & Use Office All laboratories working with human-derived substances It is strongly recommended that all laboratories currently working with human-derived substances (tissues, fluids, cells, or cell lines) obtain testing documentation from their material provider and/or have their testing completed by November 30, 2016 to remain consistent with new U-M guidance regarding the containment housing practices required for animals administered human-derived substances. Visit the IBC Requirement for Animals Administered Human-Derived Substances webpage or contact the Animal Care & Use Office at [email protected] or (734) 763-8028 for more details.

Animal Research Spotlight

A small device implanted under the skin can improve breast cancer survival by catching cancer cells, slowing the development of metastatic tumors in other organs and allowing time to intervene with surgery or other therapies. These findings, reported in Cancer Research, suggest a path for identifying metastatic cancer early and intervening to improve outcomes. The study, done in mice, expands on earlier research from the same team of U-M researchers that showed that the implantable scaffold device effectively captures metastatic cancer cells. Keep reading .

For more information about the Animal Care & Use Program at the University of Michigan, CLICK HERE .

Our mission in the Animal Care & Use Office is to support the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee, fostering sustained excellence in animal care and use in scientific research and education, and promoting the philosophy that the highest animal welfare standards are necessary for impactful science.