Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals

Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
Title	Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
Author	National Research Council
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Animal research standards
Publisher	National Academies Press
Pub date	1963 (first), various revisions

Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals is a widely cited set of standards produced by the National Research Council (United States), adopted across institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Agriculture, and academic centers including Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and Stanford University. It informs policies used by oversight bodies like the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare and influences regulations associated with statutes such as the Animal Welfare Act (United States), serving as a reference for institutional Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee practices practiced at facilities like the Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Columbia University.

Overview and Purpose

The Guide establishes care and use standards to support humane treatment and scientific validity across species used in research at institutions including University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, Rockefeller University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Michigan. It frames expectations for compliance tied to funding from agencies like the National Science Foundation and oversight by organizations such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International.

Ethical Principles and Regulatory Framework

The Guide integrates ethical principles influenced by historical documents and committees including the Berlioz Committee, the Institute of Medicine, and advisory reports connected to lawmakers in United States Congress hearings. It aligns institutional policy with regulatory frameworks like the Public Health Service Act while interacting with professional codes from groups such as the American Psychological Association, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, and standards referenced by courts and agencies including the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Animal Care and Husbandry Standards

Standards cover nutrition, sanitation, and routine handling applicable to species housed in facilities at institutions such as Princeton University, Duke University, Brown University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Cornell University. Protocols reference guidance used by zoological institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and veterinary training centers including the Royal Veterinary College and inform procurement and transport practices influenced by entities like Air France cargo rules and international accords negotiated with partners such as the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Veterinary Health and Clinical Care

Veterinary oversight is central, with roles modeled after practices at clinics affiliated with Cleveland Clinic, University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and Texas A&M University. The Guide outlines preventive medicine, surgical standards, anesthesia, and postoperative care consistent with recommendations from the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, and connects to credentialing practices similar to those at the Royal Society and national academies such as the National Academy of Sciences.

Housing, Environmental Enrichment, and Welfare Assessment

Recommendations address caging, lighting, and enrichment programs found in laboratories at National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Salk Institute, Scripps Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Welfare assessment strategies draw on behavioral science research from centers like the Max Planck Society, Karolinska Institute, and Mount Sinai Health System, and reference enrichment examples used at museums such as the American Museum of Natural History and conservation projects supported by the World Wildlife Fund.

Experimental Procedures and Minimization of Pain

Protocols emphasize refinement to minimize pain and distress, paralleling practices adopted at pharmaceutical firms such as Pfizer, biotechnology companies like Genentech, and clinical research organizations including Quintiles. The Guide’s recommendations on analgesia, humane endpoints, and experimental design intersect with statistical guidance from institutions like University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and ethical review models used by World Health Organization committees.

Personnel Training, Facility Management, and Recordkeeping

The Guide mandates personnel qualifications, training programs, and recordkeeping systems used at research institutions such as National Institutes of Health, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Karolinska Institutet, and University of Tokyo. It informs accreditation processes conducted by AAALAC International and institutional governance aligned with practices at Oxford University, University of Edinburgh, and national regulatory agencies including the Food and Drug Administration.

Category:Laboratory animal science