Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Accreditation
Many institutions seek to accredit their animal care and use
programs using an objective third party to confirm the
scientific or medical currency or procedures and practices
in place and to be informed of program areas where
improvements are possible. Typically, the accreditation
process involves an on-site assessment using outside
reviewers with specific expertise who provide this peer
review.
Sciences and Engineering Research Council, require
grantee institutions to have a Certificate of Good Animal
Practice
and to comply with CCAC guidelines and poli-
cies for continued funding. The program reviews, referred
to as assessments, are conducted by a panel consisting of at
least one veterinarian, one other scientist, and a member of
the Canadian animal welfare community. The assessment
panel reviews the composition, functioning and effective-
ness of the Animal Care Committee (local oversight body),
and the appropriateness of animal care and use facilities,
practices, and procedures. The standards for the assessment
are documents developed by the CCAC as well as other
reports approved by the CCAC's Council, a body composed
of 22 member organizations. (See also the section “Can-
ada” above.)
AAALAC International
The Association for Assessment and Accreditation of
Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC International), first
organized in 1965, is a voluntary accrediting organization
that enhances the quality of research, teaching, and testing
by promoting humane, responsible animal care and use. It
provides advice and independent assessments to partici-
pating institutions and accredits those that meet or exceed
applicable standards. In 2011, more than 800 companies,
universities, hospitals, government agencies and other
research institutions in 34 countries have earned AAALAC
International accreditation. AAALAC International is
governed by an international Board of Trustees composed
of almost 70 “Member Organizations” representing animal
research, laboratory animal medicine, and patient advocacy
groups. The accreditation assessments are conducted by
a Council on Accreditation composed of three regional
Council Sections: North America, Europe, and Pacific Rim.
These Council members are assisted on site visits by ad hoc
consultants and specialists who bring additional depth of
expertise to the on-site assessment. Individuals conducting
site visits to institutions with nonhuman primates have the
necessary experience and knowledge to perform these
reviews in a manner that best assists the institution
(e.g. members include past presidents of the Association of
Primate Veterinarians, scientists who specialize in primate
research, and veterinarians who work at regional primate
centers or other institutions with significant numbers and
species of primates). Accreditation assessments are based
on the Guide as well as other AAALAC International
Reference Resources (
http://www.aaalac.org/accreditation/
resources.cfm
), some of which are specific for nonhuman
primates.
National Governmental and
Nongovernmental Organizations
USA
National Institutes of Health
The NIH (
http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/
) provides laboratory
scientists and clinical researchers with the tools and
training necessary to understand, detect, treat, and prevent
a wide range of diseases. The NIH funds animals, facilities,
technologies, and materials that support research using
nonhuman primates. For example, the NIH provides core
support for the National Primate Research Centers and
other related primate resources (e.g. genotyping, Herpes B
virus diagnosis). The NCRR also is responsible for the
Chimpanzee Management Program which supports long-
term housing and maintenance of these animals at NIH-
supported facilities for chimpanzees owned or supported by
the federal government. As the primary federal funding
source for studies utilizing nonhuman primates, NIH is
a rich resource for information. For example, the NIH
Nonhuman Primate Management Plan, a strategy for
environmental enrichment for nonhuman primates, is just
one publication of particular relevance to individuals
working with nonhuman primates.
National Libraries
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) (
http://www.nlm.
nih.gov/
) is the world's largest medical library. It includes
PubMed, a resource developed and maintained by the
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at
the National Library of Medicine, which provides access to
MEDLINE, NLM's database of citations and abstracts in
the fields of biomedical and associated science, including
ALTBIB, the Bibliography on Alternatives to the Use of
Live Vertebrates in Biomedical Research and Testing.
Many of
Canadian Council on Animal Care
The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) was
organized in 1968 to provide oversight of and develop
policies and guidelines governing the care and use of
animals for experimental purposes. Although there is no
national requirement to participate in the CCAC assess-
ment program, the two principal research funding agencies,
the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural
the articles directly available in the NLM
