Posted: December 21, 2007
The imaging modalities available for use with laboratory animals provide a means to explore the molecular mechanism of several diseases, minimize many of the limitations of static tissue-based techniques, and, most importantly, decrease the numbers of animals required. In fact, depending on the application, it is possible to reduce the number of animals required per study by as much as 80% to 90%. This feature is noteworthy because, perhaps unique to the ILAR Journal, there is an intentional effort to publish reviews that include considerations specifically relevant to animal care and use.

Posted: December 17, 2007
OLAW is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kim Taylor to the position of Senior Assurance Officer, Division of Assurances. Dr. Taylor comes to OLAW with over 13 years experience in biomedical research involving animals.  She obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989 and is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Most recently Dr. Taylor served as the Deputy Animal Program Director for the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Comparative Medicine Branch.  Prior to joining NIAID, Dr. Taylor spent 12 years in the U.S. Army where she completed a residency program in Laboratory Animal Medicine at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases located in Frederick, Maryland. 

Posted: December 17, 2007
OLAW is please to announce that Lori Hampton has joined OLAW in the Division of Policy and Education as an Animal Welfare Program Specialist. Ms. Hampton obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from the Pennsylvania State University in 1983 and began her career at NIH that same year in the Developmental and Metabolic Neurology Branch at the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke. In 1986, she moved to the Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis at the National Cancer Institute. Since 1995, she has worked at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders where she was a biologist studying the genetics of deafness and the function of G protein-coupled receptors and serving on the NINDS/NIDCD Animal Care and Use Committee. Lori's twenty four years of scientific research experience at the NIH include twenty years working with animal models of human disease and management of laboratory operations.

Posted: October 25, 2007
http://dels.nas.edu/ilar_n/ilarjournal/48_4/html/

Articles in this issue:

• Introduction: The Use of Animal Research in Developing Treatments for Human Motor Disorders: Brain-Computer Interfaces and the Regeneration of Damaged Brain Circuits
• Animal Care and Use Issues in Movement Disorder Research
• Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine, and Animal Models of Disease
• Nonhuman Primate Models of Parkinson's Disease
• Animal Models of Huntington's Disease
• Rat Models of Upper Extremity Impairment in Stroke
• Rat Models of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury to Assess Motor Recovery
• Monkey Models of Recovery of Voluntary Hand Movement after Spinal Cord and Dorsal Root Injury
• Learning-based Animal Models: Task-specific Focal Hand Dystonia
  

Posted: October 12, 2007
The AVMA has issued an update to the 2000 Report of the Panel on Euthanasia with a new title, AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. Since the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals requires IACUCs to use the recommendations of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia, OLAW has issued a notice in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts regarding implementation of the new report.

The NIH Guide notice is posted at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-005.html

The AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia are posted at: http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf (PDF - 550 KB)

Posted: October 1, 2007
Eileen Morgan has been appointed as Director of the Division of Assurances, Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), Office of Extramural Research, NIH. Ms. Morgan previously served as a Senior Assurance Officer in the Division of Assurances. The Division negotiates and maintains Animal Welfare Assurances with research entities that conduct PHS-sponsored biomedical and behavioral research and develops and implements new procedures to ensure that the PHS Policy is appropriately and effectively implemented to meet the changing needs of the biomedical research community. Eileen holds a B.S. in Technology Management from the University of Maryland. She brings 24 years of experience in animal models-based biomedical research. Ms. Morgan’s experience includes service as Chief of the Facility Management Branch in the Division of Veterinary Resources, NIH Intramural Program. She has also held positions at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the American Red Cross, Holland Laboratory, Affinity Biotech, and the Cleveland Research Institute.

Posted: August 3, 2007
As a member of the Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH OD, OLAW participated in the launch of a family of redesigned websites on August 1, 2007. Designed with a user-friendly layout, new search tools, and updated links and resources, the OLAW webpage combines valued resources from our previous webpage with new features to make it easier for you to communicate with us. OLAW has added a second, easier to remember, url: http://OLAW.nih.gov. (The old one still works, too: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/olaw.htm.) OLAW welcomes comments on the new website design. OLAW also welcomes comments on any of its policy guidance. Comments may be submitted to OLAW by email at: olaw@od.nih.gov (please insert the title of the specific guidance document in the subject field), or by mail to:

Division of Policy and Education
Office for Laboratory Animal Welfare
National Institutes of Health
RKLG 1, Suite 360 , MSC 7982
6705 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda , MD 20892-7982

All relevant comments will be considered in OLAW decisions on timing and content of revisions to guidance documents, or development of new guidance documents. Comments generally will not result in direct responses from OLAW.

Posted: August 3, 2007
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) is pleased to announce the appointment of Susan Silk as director of the Division of Policy and Education. Ms. Silk has served as the acting director of the Division of Policy and Education since November 2006.

Posted: August 3, 2007
OLAW is pleased to announce the following IACUC Education Opportunities:

August 2007, Spokane , Washington � IACUC 101
September 2007, Anchorage , Alaska � SCAW IACUC Advanced
September 2007, Cincinnati , Ohio - IACUC 101
November 2007, Virginia Beach , Virginia � IACUC 101
December 2007, San Antonio , Texas � SCAW Winter Conference
March 2008, Atlanta , Georgia � IACUC 101
April 2008, Galveston , Texas � IACUC 101
May 2008, Bethesda , Maryland � SCAW IACUC Advanced
May 2008, Delray Beach , Florida � IACUC 101/201PLUS
June 2008, Columbus , Ohio � SCAW IACUC Advanced
June 2008, Minneapolis , Minnesota � IACUC 101/201PLUS
August 2008, Fort Collins , Colorado � IACUC 101/201PLUS
October 2008, Las Vegas , Nevada � SCAW IACUC Advanced
Date Pending, San Francisco, California � IACUC 101/201PLUS

OLAW invites you to plan now to attend an upcoming workshop. Additional details can be found at ( Emily please link to �Workshops and Conferences� and �IACUC 101 Series� Here ). Questions regarding IACUC 101 and 101/201PLUS may be directed to ML James at mljames@socket.net. Questions regarding SCAW Winter Conference and SCAW IACUC Advanced Workshops may be directed to Linda Tockey at linda@scaw.com.

Posted: May 31, 2007
Use of Amphibians in the Research, Laboratory, or Classroom Setting
Articles in this issue:
Introduction: Introduction: The Art of Amphibian Science
Stephen A. Smith and Michael K. Stoskopf

Amphibians Used in Research and Teaching
Dorcas P. O'Rourke

Facility Design and Associated Services for the Study of Amphibians
Robert K. Browne, R. Andrew Odum, Timothy Herman, and Kevin Zippel

Amphibian Biology and Husbandry
F. Harvey Pough

Reproduction and Larval Rearing of Amphibians
Robert K. Browne and Kevin Zippel

Diseases of Amphibians
Christine L. Densmore and David Earl Green

Medicine and Surgery of Amphibians
Edward J. Gentz

Amphibians as Animal Models for Laboratory Research in Physiology
Warren W. Burggren and Stephen Warburton

Amphibians as Models for Studying Environmental Change
William A. Hopkins

IACUC Issues Associated with Amphibian Research
Leanne C. Alworth and Stephen B. Harvey

Amphibian Resources on the Internet
Michael W. Nolan and Stephen A. Smith

Appendix: Compendium of Drugs and Compounds Used in Amphiabians
Stephen A. Smith

Articles and whole issues of ILAR Journal and ILAR e-Journal can be ordered and downloaded online at www.ilarjournal.com. For more information, contact ILAR at 202-334-2590 or ILAR@nas.edu.

Posted: May 8, 2007
Updated: May 31, 2007
We hope your summer /fall plans will include an IACUC workshop. Listed below are the upcoming workshops. Questions can be directed to OLAW at olaw@od.nih.gov or 301-496-7163.

Now Open IACUC 201PLUS: Gaithersburg , July 2007
IACUC 101/201PLUS will be held on July 18 and 19 at the Gaithersburg Hilton in Gaithersburg , Maryland . Cosponsor is BioReliance Corporation. Registration for IACUC 101 is closed � we have reached maximum capacity. You can register for IACUC 201PLUS at http://www.invitrogen.com/iacuc.

Now Open: Spokane , August 2007
IACUC 101/201 will be held on August 29 and 30 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Spokane , Washington . Cosponsors are University of Idaho and the BRIN Network. You can register for this workshop at http://www.uro.uidaho.edu/IACUC101201.

Now Open: Anchorage , September 2007
IACUC Advanced will be held on September 5 in Anchorage , Alaska . Cosponsor is Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW). You can register for this workshop at
http://www.scaw.com/cgi-bin/cart.pl.

Now Open: Cincinnati , September 2007
IACUC 101 will be held on September 27 at the Marriott Kingsgate Conference Hotel in Cincinnati , Ohio . Cosponsor is the University of Cincinnati . You can register for this workshop at http://cme.uc.edu/IACUC101.

Posted: April 20, 2007
Updated: May 31, 2007
Volume 48(2) Training and Adult Learning Strategies for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals

Articles in this issue:

• Introduction: New Frontiers in Education and Training for the Laboratory Animal Community and Public: An Overview of Select Proceedings from the June 2006 Forum of the ACLAM
• Invited International Perspective: Education and Training for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: An Overview of Current Practices
• Training in the Laboratory Animal Science Community: Strategies to Support Adult Learning
• Institutional and IACUC Responsibilities for Animal Care and Use Education and Training Programs
• Fundamental Training for Individuals Involved in the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: A Review and Update of the 1991 NRC Core Training Module
• Training Strategies for Animal Care Technicians and Veterinary Technical Staff
• Training Strategies for Research Investigators and Technicians
• Training Strategies for IACUC members and the Institutional Official
• Training Strategies for Laboratory Animal Veterinarians: Challenges and Opportunities
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of Training Strategies: Performance Goals and Testing
• Emerging Technologies in Education and Training: Applications for the Laboratory Animal Science Community

Articles and whole issues of ILAR Journal and ILAR e-Journal can be ordered and downloaded online at www.ilarjournal.com . For more information, contact ILAR at 202-334-2590 or ILAR@nas.edu .

Posted: January 30, 2007
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) welcomes Cynthia L. Barlow, MS, MT (ASCP), as its new Associate Director for Operations. Ms. Barlow comes to OLAW from Harvard University, School of Medicine, where she has served in multiple positions in the research community, most recently as the Inspector Coordinator/Compliance Officer and committee member for the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Prior to joining the IACUC, she was a clinical research associate at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center, a teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine, where she made significant contributions to the development of a new research and training program for the members of the surgical residency program and medical staff. She also served as the IACUC Coordinator at the Lahey Clinic. Previously, she was a major contributor to the start up of the Harvard Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery, a grant supported sub-department at Harvard Medical School and was the Coordinator for the Center. She concurrently served as the teaching associate for an undergraduate course offered through the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University with a concentration in vertebrate animal surgery and comparative medicine.

Ms. Barlow has earned a Master of Science degree in Business Administration at Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology at the University of Massachusetts in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, (formerly Southeastern Massachusetts University), and is registered through the American Society for Clinical Pathology. She is currently a second year law student at the Concord Law School, an innovative virtual access law program with headquarters in California. Ms. Barlow brings 25 years of experience in biomedical research and clinical laboratory practice to OLAW.

Posted: March 15, 2007
Thursday May 3, 2007, 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Atlanta � Centennial Olympic Park, GA. The course is sponsored by Morehouse School of Medicine and NIH OLAW.

IACUC 101 is a full day didactic and interactive training course for new and seasoned IACUC members, IACUC affiliates including IACUC administrators, trainers, veterinarians, animal care staff, researchers, regulatory personnel, individuals responsible for their institution's animal care program and others interested in IACUC roles and responsibilities.

For registration information, go to the Morehouse School of Medicine website directly at url: http://www.msm.edu/iacuc/index.html or to the OLAW IACUC 101 series webpage at url: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/iacuc101s.htm where you will also find the 2007 IACUC 101 Series calendar at the bottom of the page. As registration information comes available, the links in the calendar will be activated.

Any questions? Contact Mary Lou James, mljames@socket.net or Travionne Shaw tshaw@msm.edu   404-752-1724.

Posted: January 30, 2007
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) welcomes Cynthia L. Barlow, MS, MT (ASCP), as its new Associate Director for Operations. Ms. Barlow comes to OLAW from Harvard University, School of Medicine, where she has served in multiple positions in the research community, most recently as the Inspector Coordinator/Compliance Officer and committee member for the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Prior to joining the IACUC, she was a clinical research associate at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center, a teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine, where she made significant contributions to the development of a new research and training program for the members of the surgical residency program and medical staff. She also served as the IACUC Coordinator at the Lahey Clinic. Previously, she was a major contributor to the start up of the Harvard Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery, a grant supported sub-department at Harvard Medical School and was the Coordinator for the Center. She concurrently served as the teaching associate for an undergraduate course offered through the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University with a concentration in vertebrate animal surgery and comparative medicine.

Ms. Barlow has earned a Master of Science degree in Business Administration at Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology at the University of Massachusetts in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, (formerly Southeastern Massachusetts University), and is registered through the American Society for Clinical Pathology. She is currently a second year law student at the Concord Law School, an innovative virtual access law program with headquarters in California. Ms. Barlow brings 25 years of experience in biomedical research and clinical laboratory practice to OLAW.

Posted: January 26, 2007
A new notice, entitled Guidance Addressing the NIH Policy on Allowable Costs for Grant Activities Involving Animals when Terms and Conditions are Not Upheld, has been published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts on January 26, 2007 as Notice Number NOT-OD-07-044. This is a joint Notice from the Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA) and Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW). The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts is the official publication for NIH medical and behavioral research grant policies, guidelines and funding opportunities.

Posted: January 26, 2007

Your Annual Report for 2006 is due to OLAW by January 31, 2007 . In accordance with the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Policy), Part IV.F., Assured Institution's are required to submit a written report to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) at least once every twelve (12) months. The reporting period coincides with the calendar year, unless the institution has requested an alternate reporting schedule in writing. Reports, for the previous calendar year, are due January 31 st . Therefore, your Annual Report for 2006 will be due to OLAW by January 31, 2007.

Limited attachments are required with the Annual Report:

• Roster of the IACUC members, only if there has been a change to the membership
• A summary of any program changes.
• Minority views, if any.
• If there have been no other changes to the animal program, then no other program elements are needed for the Annual Report.
• Please do not send semi-annual reports or CVs with the Annual Report. They are not required.

There are three ways to deliver your Annual Report to OLAW:

• By fax to 301-402-7065
• By e-mail. Convert your signed Annual Report to PDF and e-mail to olawdoa@mail.nih.gov.
• By shipping to the following address:
  OLAW Division of Assurance
  Attention: Joan Ward
  National Institutes of Health
  RLK 1, Suite 360
  6705 Rockledge Drive
  Bethesda , MD 20817
  Telephone 301-496-7163

Additional Information:

Documents submitted to OLAW are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FIOA). OLAW's FOIA FAQ can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/faqs.htm#report_4.

A Sample Annual Report Form can be found at the following URL on the OLAW website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/sampledoc/rptprt.htm.

The Guide notice of July 13, 2004, Office Extramural Research Notice Regarding Animal Welfare Documents Submitted to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-04-052.html.

Posted: January 24, 2007
Dr. Norka Ruiz Bravo has announced Dr. Patricia (Pat) Brown’s appointment as the new director of the Office for Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) in the Office of Extramural Research. Dr. Brown received her B.Sc. degree in Animal Science (1974) from Pennsylvania State University and her veterinary degree (1978) from the University of Pennsylvania. She served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years, and while on active duty earned a M.Sc. in Laboratory Animal Medicine from the M.S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA. She joined the U.S. Public Health Service in 1986 and has served in a variety of positions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the Veterinary Resources Branch, the National Cancer Institute and the Office of Animal Care and Use. In 2001, she became the Deputy Director in the Office of Animal Care and Use, Office of Intramural Research, Office of the Director, NIH. She has served as Acting Director, OLAW since July 2006. Dr. Brown is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM), has served on the Board of Directors of ACLAM, is a past president of the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP) and has served on the Board of Trustees of the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International representing ASLAP.

Posted: January 24, 2007
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, NIH, the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW), the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and the Animal Care Division, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will present an IACUC-Advanced Workshop. The workshop will be held March 9, 2007 at The Peabody Court Hotel in Memphis, TN.

IACUC-Advanced was developed by the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare to train individuals concerned with science and appropriate animal welfare. This may include experienced IACUC members and administrators, principal investigators, attending veterinarians, regulatory personnel and laboratory animal care staff. The regional workshop format lets small groups discuss specific advanced topics that are relevant to IACUC functions.

The conference agenda and a registration form are available on the SCAW website at http://www.scaw.com/conference.htm .

Posted: January 18, 2007
IACUC 101 will be offered on Sunday March 25, 2007, 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in San Diego, CA.. The course is sponsored by NIH OLAW and Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R).

IACUC 101 is a full day didactic and interactive training course for new and seasoned IACUC members, IACUC affiliates including IACUC administrators, trainers, veterinarians, animal care staff, researchers, regulatory personnel, individuals responsible for their institution's animal care program and others interested in IACUC roles and responsibilities.

For registration information, go to the PRIM&R Website directly at url http://www.primr.org/education/2007_IACUC/overview_IACUC07.html or to the OLAW IACUC 101 series webpage at url https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/iacuc101s.htm where you will also find the 2007 IACUC 101 Series calendar at the bottom of the page. As registration information comes available, the links in the calendar will be activated.

Any questions? Contact Mary Lou James, mljames@socket.net or PRIM&R at info@primr.org . PRIM&R can also be contacted by telephone at (617) 423-4112.

Posted: January 18, 2007
IACUC 101 will be offered on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007, 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK . The course is sponsored by NIH OLAW and Oklahoma State University .

IACUC 101 is a full day didactic and interactive training course for new and seasoned IACUC members, IACUC affiliates including IACUC administrators, trainers, veterinarians, animal care staff, researchers, regulatory personnel, individuals responsible for their institution's animal care program and others interested in IACUC roles and responsibilities.

For registration information, go to the Oklahoma State University Website directly at url http://vpr.okstate.edu/iacuc101/index.htm or to the OLAW IACUC 101 series webpage at url https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/iacuc101s.htm

where you will also find the 2007 IACUC 101 Series calendar at the bottom of the page. As registration information comes available, the links in the calendar will be activated.

Any questions? Contact Mary Lou James, mljames@socket.net or Jada Bruner Gailey at jada.gailey@okstate.edu