Alternatives
According to the Animal Welfare Act regulations, "the ACUC shall determine that
the principal investigator has considered alternatives to procedures that may cause
more than slight pain or distress to the animals, and has provided a written narrative
of the methods and sources used to determine that alternatives were not available".
The ACUC is also responsible for ensuring that the proposed research does not unnecessarily
duplicate other research.
While there are various sections of the Frederick National Lab Animal Study Proposal
that address the issue of alternative considerations and non-duplicative research,
the ACUC will require a database reference search for all studies (regardless of
species) that propose Category 3 (unrelieved pain or generalized
discomfort) procedures. In these situations, the PI is required to provide the ACUC
with the following information under Section G of the NCI Animal Study Proposal
form to demonstrate good-faith effort: (1) a statement describing the consideration
of alternatives to procedures listed for Category 3; (2)
the PI's determination that alternatives were not available for use in his/her study;
and (3) a database reference statement to include the databases searched, the date
of the search, period covered, and keywords used.
The following bibliographic databases can be utilized to assist with an investigator's
database reference search:
The following sites provide additional information on animal welfare and alternatives: