EnCCoMPass Protocol Help

All research, testing and training using animals must first be approved by Institution’s Animal Care and Use Committee. Approval is granted by completing an animal protocol using the EnCCoMPass application and submitting it for review. All staff using animals must have the skills and training necessary to conduct the procedures described in the protocol. If you require training please register at MSKCC or WCMC to arrange both didactic and hands-on training.

If you have an approved protocol that describes the animal use activities as proposed in the grant or contract, including the scientific rationale, hypothesis, species and numbers of animals requested, and methods and staff utilized, and the funding agency and grant/contract # is included in the protocol, contact the IACUC Administrator at MSKCC or WCMC and request a letter of documentation. If these conditions are not met, an animal care and use proposal must be submitted. Alternatively, if you have an approved protocol(s) that meets the criteria described above except the funding agency and grant/contract # were not included in the protocol(s) then you need to submit an amendment including the grant(s) which are supported by the protocol. After the amendment is approved you can print out a Grant Verification Letter in EnCCoMPass.

Staff may be added to your protocol by submission of an amendment using the EnCCoMPass Protocol Module .

Any changes (personnel, animal numbers, species, procedures) to your Animal Care & Use Protocol requires the submission of an amendment using the EnCCoMPass Protocol Module .

The IACUC’s home page on both MSKCC’s and WCMC’s intranet site has details as to how and to whom to report a concern.

It depends. Contact RARC’s Education and Quality Assurance section at MSKCC or WCMC to discuss the details. In some cases you may be able to "try out" the new procedure by utilizing RARC’s "Conservation of Animals " protocol. Under the guidance of RARC, an investigator may be allowed to test a new procedure on an animal that is slated for euthanasia. There are strict guidelines that must be followed and the investigator is required to work under the supervision of a qualified RARC staff member.

Contact the IACUC Administrator at IACUCAdmin_MailToLink MSKCC or WCMC or RARC’s Education and Quality Assurance Section at MSKCC or WCMC as they can help you complete your submission.

RARC’s professional and technical staff is composed of highly qualified personnel with extensive experience in the field of laboratory animal science. Contact the Education and Quality Assurance Section at MSKCC or WCMC to schedule assistance.

Adhere to what is written in your protocol. Ensure that all personnel performing work with animals is listed on your protocol, they have received the requisite training to conduct the specific procedures that you are approved to complete, and that all animal procedures to be conducted are described in your protocol. Ensure that all personnel conducting work with animals is aware of what procedures are or are not approved on the protocol.

Contact the Education and Quality Assurance Section at MSKCC or WCMC to schedule assistance.

Federal regulations and policies require each protocol be reviewed no less than annually and undergo a complete review every 3 years.

Following submission of your protocol through the EnCCoMPass system, the protocol is sent to at least two IACUC members for preliminary review. These members will generally have questions which are sent back to the PI and the contact person listed on the protocol to be addressed within a specified time frame to ensure the protocol is considered at the next IACUC meeting. The PI and contact person will receive an email notification whenever action is required on their protocol. Additionally, information will be posted on their EnCCoMPass dashboard. The questions will need to be answered and, if required, the protocol revised before resubmitting to the IACUC for review. Once submitted to the IACUC for consideration at a convened meeting, the protocol may be approved or additional questions may be generated for response. If additional information is required, the IACUC can recommend approval following review of the information by one or more IACUC members or they may request it be re-presented at the next convened IACUC meeting.

MSKCC’s and WCMC’s IACUC meet, in general, monthly during which new protocols, annual renewals and 3 year renewals are considered by the respective IACUC. Each IACUC’s meeting schedule and deadline for consideration for each respective meeting can be found on MSKCC’s and WCMC’s IACUC intranet site.

The IACUC’s minimum size and member background is stipulated by federal regulations and policy. Minimally, the IACUC must consist of at least one scientist with animal research experience, a layperson with no institutional affiliation other than serving on the IACUC (this individuals role is to represent the public’s interest), a veterinarian and a non-scientist. Both MSKCC’s and WCMC’s IACUCs have many more members than minimally required. Scientists from many disciplines representing many research programs or departments are selected to serve on the IACUC.

Provide a response within seven business days of receiving the memo detailing what occurred along with a plan of action to prevent recurrence.

No. IACUCs do not have authority to administratively extend approval beyond three years. When IACUC approval expires the protocol lacks valid approval. Continuation of animal activities in the absence of valid approval is a serious and reportable violation of PHS Policy (see NOT-OD-05-034).

The PHS Policy recognizes that the IACUC may approve, require modifications, or withhold approval. If the IACUC determines that a protocol is approvable, contingent on receipt of a very specific administrative modification or clarification (e.g., a contact telephone number), the Committee may handle the issue as an administrative detail that an individual (e.g., IACUC Chair or Administrator) may verify. Requests for substantive modifications should result in the protocol coming back to the Committee. Protocol that lack substantive information necessary for the IACUC to make judgment (e.g., justification for withholding analgesics in a painful procedure) should be considered incomplete and the IACUC should defer review until the requisite information is provided by the investigator.