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Animal ethics committee and protocol review

The University Committee on Laboratory Animals (UCLA) is Dalhousie’s animal ethics committee, responsible for overseeing the care and use of all vertebrate animals on campus. 

About the UCLA

The University Committee on Laboratory Animals (UCLA) is composed of scientists, technicians, veterinarians, students, and members of the public (see Terms of Reference). 

The UCLA reviews each proposal to use animals and decides whether the project has valid scientific goals and whether it is ethical and humane. One of the main ethical principles that we use in evaluating research projects is the principle of the 3 R’s:

  • Replacement of animals whenever possible with alternatives such as computer models or cells

  • Reduction in the number of animals used

  • Refinement of techniques to make them as humane as possible

The UCLA is a presidential committee reporting through the Office of the VP Research and Innovation, whose functions and responsibilities are clearly defined by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines, a Canadian peer-reviewed organization responsible for setting, maintaining, and overseeing the implementation of high standards for animal ethics and care in science on a national scale.

The CCAC performs regular assessment visits to Dalhousie and other Canadian universities to ensure that these standards are being met. All animal-based research projects conducted at Dalhousie must strictly adhere to the CCAC guidelines, as well as to university policies and UCLA decisions. Dalhousie holds a current Certificate of Good Animal Practice from the CCAC.

 

UCLA application details

All use of animals at Dalhousie University requires the approval of the University's Animal Care Committees (UCLA/ACUC ).

Before any animals are ordered and/or any procedures are performed, an animal care application must be submitted to UCLA through ROMEO researcher portal. Once approval is granted, the Principal Investigator (PI) is issued an Animal Care Certificate, and the Office of Research Services releases grant funding.

Protocol review process

Application 

Principal Investigator (PI) must submit their animal user protocol application via the ROMEO portal. Application is assessed for required peer review, if peer review is required the file is sent to Office of Research Services to facilitate peer review or if it is part of a contract with a corporate partner, corporate peer review is required. Peer review must be completed prior to ethics review. For teaching protocols (excluding the use of Invebrates) require a pedagogical merit review.

Review 

Committee reviews protocol for ethics and animal welfare, reviews are discussed at monthly meetings. Communication is sent to the PI via portal.

Revisions 

If amendments are needed, the principal investigator (PI) will respond to committee feedback via email and submit a revised protocol through the portal. 

The revised submission undergoes another review by the committee. PI is notified of the committee decision either another response is required, or an approval is sent via the portal. 

The ethics review process is an iterative one that continues until the committee approves the protocol.

Approval 

Once approval is granted by the UCLA, the PI will be issued an Animal Care Certificate through ROMEO, and the Office of Research Services will release the grant funding.

Peer Review for scientific merit

All animal use protocols require peer review before ethics/welfare review by the UCLA.

Most labs have peer review completed by the granting agency, however if the researcher has received start up funds and wishes to begin animal work, there is a mechanism through the Office of Research Services to complete peer review. Please contact the UCLA office if you have questions prior to protocol submission.

If a researcher is funded by contract with a corporate partner, there is a separate mechanism to satisfy the peer review requirement for corporate partners. Please contact the UCLA office for the following documents:

  • Master Checklist
  • Scientific Peer Review of Animal Research Proposals from Corporate Partners 

Pedagogical Merit Review for teaching protocols

For teaching protocols, we require a pedagogical merit review for all teaching protocols. Please see the CCAC FAQ page for more details. For Instructors, please complete the form below and include it with your protocol submission on ROMEO. 

Protocol submission deadlines

Please note that submission deadline is the first Thursday of every month. Please ensure that your documents are submitted prior to your expiry or expected start date (we recommend submission 8 weeks in advance or more). 

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