UC policy
The University of California system is among the best funded and scientifically well-published in the world when it comes to animal research. Each campus has its own focus, its own institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC), and its own animal care and use program. The University of California Office of the President (UCOP) establishes overarching principles and standards for all campuses within the system, and supports various committees to maintain high standards of animal welfare, assure personnel safety, and be engaged with national efforts regarding animal research.
University of California Policy on the Use of Animals in Research and Teaching
UC Santa Cruz IACUC guidance and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
While the federal government, UCOP, and UC Santa Cruz establish policies around animal care, the IACUC provides guidance and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to support more specific direction for all involved with animal research.
What is an IACUC guidance document?
An IACUC guidance document provides general information or direction that help:
- Investigators navigate requirements to conduct research and teaching activities with animals at UC Santa Cruz.
- IACUC members understand overarching principles and definitions needed during animal use protocol review.
- Site inspectors evaluate the standards and guiding parameters involved in the animal care and use program.
- AAALAC site visitors who review our accredited program every three years.
What is a standard operating procedure (SOP)?
A SOP is a document that can be specific to a research lab, animal housing area (e.g., vivarium), species, or study that details the particular actions and requirements needed to carry out operations. The purposes of a SOP are to:
- Share procedural documents and record-keeping forms.
- Educate individuals (particularly research staff and IACUC members) on the proper and current techniques to ensure optimal animal care and welfare.
- Enhance rigor and reproducibility through consistent procedures.
The UC Santa Cruz IACUC has the option to review facility and project SOPs, especially as they relate to IACUC oversight. The UCSC SOP on SOPs is the approved format for submitting a SOP for UC Santa Cruz IACUC review. SOPs provide consistency across groups and create a standard practice that is approved by the IACUC and can be incorporated by reference into multiple protocols, in lieu of repeating descriptions of identical procedures.
Some of the documents on this page are publicly available, while others can only be accessed by members of the UCSC community or people with access to the campus vivarium. If you need help accessing a document, contact iacuc@ucsc.edu.
General guidance and SOPs
- Analgesia in Animals
- Animal Tissue Utilization
- Cage Cards
- Expired Medical Pharmaceuticals
- Guidance on Pain and Distress Classifications and Examples
- Guideline on Surgical Procedures
- Labeling Dilutions of Pharmaceutical Compounds in Animals
- Non-Pharmaceutical Grade Compounds
- Personnel Requirements
- Post-operative Monitoring Record for Rats, Mice, and Birds
- Requirements for Field Courses Involving Observation (No Contact) of Non-Human Vertebrates
- Research Animal Adoption
- Sick and Moribund Animals and Animals Found Dead
- SOP on MS-222
- Surgery and Anesthesia Monitoring Record
Rodent-specific guidance and SOPs
- Alternative Housing of Rodents
- Environmental Enrichment for Mice
- Mouse Toe Clipping
- Rodent Euthanasia Via Euthanex Lid Administered Carbon Dioxide
- Rodent Survival Surgery
- Rodent Tail Snipping for Genotyping
- Transport of Research Rodents Through Common Spaces
Vivarium-specific guidance and SOPs
- Animal Room Checks and General Husbandry
- Euthanasia of Hydrocephalic Lab Mice
- Preventing & Managing Overcrowded Mouse Cages
- Rodent Cage Changing Techniques for Autoclaved Cages and for Autoclaved Bagged Cages
- Rodent Sentinel Program
- Sick Animal Health Assessment
- Treatment of C57BL6 Mice with Ulcerative Dermatitis
- Vivarium Animal Housing and Enrichment
- Vivarium Animal User Training Requirements
- Vivarium Space Assignment
- Vivarium Standards of Rodent Care and Housing