New periodical on compliance with government, institutional rules and ethics guidelines in usage of lab animals

Every principal investigator (PI) who uses laboratory animals in his or her research now can benefit from a new monthly independent source of expert advice in complying with government and institutional rules and ethics guidelines. That's the purpose of the new subscription newsletter, Laboratory Animal Welfare Compliance.

The monthly publication is aimed toward, and written for, the scientists who directly oversee the many research laboratories in universities and institutes in which animals aid the investigations.

The PIs are responsible for ensuring that those animals are properly housed, fed and treated humanely. In the United States, that means complying with a wide array of federal, state, institutional and professional-society rules and regulations, along with accepted ethical guidelines. Many foreign countries similarly regulate the use of animals in scientific research.

Laboratory Animal Welfare Compliance focuses on guiding PIs through the compliance maze, interpreting regulations and explaining how they apply in numerous laboratory settings and scenarios. It provides minimal or no coverage of clinical cases or subjects such as animal-breeding or surgical techniques.

Content is mostly in the form of "how-to" articles, case histories, best practices, and advice from lab-animal experts on administrative and management concerns such as:

• Maintaining standards while saving money in boarding of your lab animals
• Training and monitoring your lab technicians in best practices of animal handling
• How analgesics can affect your scientific data
• Expenses that can drain grant dollars
• Ensuring your lab animals will be safe if disaster strikes

The newsletter's inaugural issue includes articles on the federal Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare 's (OLAW) advice on avoiding compliance issues, how analgesics can affect study data, and how a campus veterinarian can be among a PI's best resources. Sample issues are available upon request at www.principalinvestigators.org or by calling 800-303-0129.

While directed mostly to PIs, Laboratory Animal Welfare Compliance also touches on subjects of interest to Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) members, veterinarians and Institution Officials (IO).

SOURCE Principal Investigators Association