Federal Regulations Governing Vertebrate Animal Use
Georgia Tech's IACUC complies with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) regulations governing the use of vertebrate animals.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Through its division of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the USDA administers the Animal Welfare Act and its amendments, codified at 7 USC §2131 et. seq. and CFR Title 9. The AWA regulates the transportation, purchase, care and treatment of animals used for exhibition, sold as pets, or used in basic and biomedical research, education and product safety testing. The AWA requires the establishment of an IACUC to review all activities using animals to ensure their humane use in research activities and to conduct semiannual assessments of the institution's animal care and use program, including inspections of all animal study areas and facilities. As a research facility, Georgia Tech is subject to random inspections by the USDA and must file an annual report with USDA concerning its animal care and use program.
National Institutes of Health
The Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals was created to implement the provisions of the Health Research Extension Act of 1985. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) administers the policy. It applies to institutions conducting PHS-supported projects involving live vertebrate animals. The policy requires that institutions establish an IACUC, which is responsible for reviewing the use of animals and conducting semiannual assessments of the institution's animal care and use program, including inspections of all animal study areas and facilities.
ORIA maintains the university's Animal Welfare Assurance (number D16-00474 [A-3822-01]).