Survey of the Review Process for Approved Animal Protocols and Feedback to Education and Training

Background: Laboratory animals are widely used in life sciences, research on the causes of diseases and their remedies, and to confirm their safety. Many countries have adopted laws and guidelines to ensure the ethical appropriateness of animal experiments. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) has been established at each university and research institute to monitor and manage the humane use of animal experiments. The Kanazawa Medical University (KMU) - IACUC plays a crucial role in monitoring and managing the humane use of animals in research across the university. KMU-IACUC is responsible for both animal protocol review and education and is also required to update the contents of its education and training to keep up with the latest research. Methods: We investigated the reviewer’s comments on animal experiment protocols in the KMU review process over the past three years and identified common issues in many applications by recounting the review comments of animal protocols. Results and Conclusion: There was a trend toward more reviewer comments in the following categories: euthanasia, anesthesia, and pain control. Taken together, we have identified that new educational resources need to be developed for euthanasia, anesthesia, and pain relief. Our approach can help improve the education and training related to animal experimentation.