Q. What is AAALAC International?
A. The Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International is a private, non-profit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs.
tQ. Is AAALAC a regulatory body?
No, AAALAC is not a regulatory body and does not make regulations or set its own standards. Rather, participation in the accreditation program is voluntary. AAALAC relies on multiple Primary Standards along with other widely accepted guidelines (see below). Institutions must also meet all applicable local and national regulations. AAALAC does publish position statements that may serve as supplemental guidelines for situations described in them.
Q. What resources or standards does AAALAC use when they conduct our site visit?
A. AAALAC International uses various standards to conduct our accreditation assessments:
- The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, 8th Edition ("Guide");
- The Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Training, 4th Edition ("Ag Guide");
- The Animal Welfare Act and Regulations (aka "the Blue Book");
- Societal Standards such as the Ornithological Society's Guide to the Use of Wild Birds in Research and other category-specific standards and guidelines;
- Agency-issued standards such as EPA-issued requirements of toxicology studies;
- UMD IACUC Standards and DLAR SOPs–these should be followed unless you have requested an exemption or exception;
- Your own protocol–be sure you are doing what you said you would do regarding procedures, SOPs, use of hazardous materials, etc.
Q. What types of organizations are accredited by AAALAC?
A. Any institution using animals for research, teaching or testing is eligible to apply for AAALAC accreditation. There are currently more than 925 accredited programs in 40 countries. Organizations include:
- Universities
- Hospitals
- Government agencies
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Biotechnology companies
- Agricultural research programs
- Non-profit organizations
- Other research institutions
Q. What are the benefits of AAALAC accreditation?
A. The following are a few of the numerous benefits of earning AAALAC International accreditation:
- Signifies our public commitment to providing humane, high-quality animal care for all animals in the program;
- Ensures that our program is continually aware of and engaged in best practices in animal care and use;
- Helps minimize variables in research projects;
- Enhances the confidence of outside funding agencies in the University's animal-based research and teaching programs;
- Enables our investigators to apply for certain funding that would otherwise not be available to them at all (e.g., Veterans Administration funding).
Q. What steps are required to ensure continuing accreditation of the UMD animal program?
A. Multiple items/steps are required to maintain accreditation with AAALAC:
- Fees - There is an annual fee for accreditation, which pays for the work of a multi-member site visit team, an online reporting system, programmatic resources, and other costs of maintaining the program;
- Reporting - UMD must submit an annual report, and report any issues that come up during the year (reportable non-compliances, major occupational health items, etc.), on an ongoing basis;
- Site visit - UMD spends approximately six months compiling data for our triennial AAALAC Program Description (PD) which is submitted just prior to the quarter of the year in which the site visit will occur (e.g., submitted on August 1st for a fall quarter site visit). Our most recent PD, filled to the brim with information about our facilities, our animal care, our institutional structures and support, and many other details was over 800 pages total in length. Once the PD is submitted, AAALAC assigns a site team leader and scheduling for the site visit can begin.
Q. What is involved in the AAALAC accreditation site visit?
A. During the AAALAC site visit, we will host 3-4 AAALAC reviewers, with appropriate background and/or from programs similar to ours. They may be veterinarians, PhDs, or hold other positions that require knowledge and experience with laboratory animal science, veterinary medicine, and/or research backgrounds. The visit includes the following components:
- In-briefing and PD review - This session will be held virtually prior to the site visit. During this session, there is an introduction, followed by a lengthy read-through of the PD (page by page);
- On-site visit - When the team arrives, they will conduct a detailed review of all animal facilities (on and off campus) and will talk with investigators, staff, and students to get a feel for how the program functions. They will also conduct a review of all our program documentation, such as Animal Study Protocols and SOPs, veterinary documentation, IACUC standards, minutes, inspection reports, and many other items;
- Exit briefing/"read out" - At the end of the site visit, there will be a virtual session in which the AAALAC site team leader communicates, verbally, the items they may have found during the visit. Typically, there are accolades as well as items for correction. This session is attended by all major stakeholders and administration;
- Post-site visit - In the near term, UMD will have an opportunity to correct as many of the items mentioned in the exit briefing as possible and submit documentation regarding those corrections to the site team leader. Once this is complete, the site team leader represents our program to the AAALAC council (in our case, in January);
- Final work on continuing accreditation - Given the timeline indicated above, we don't typically have final word on accreditation status until early Spring following the site visit.
Q. As a PI or researcher in the animal program, what can *I* expect when AAALAC visits?
A1. When the site visit team visits your facility, they may ask you about a variety of items, such as:
- Your research or teaching;
- Your animal husbandry responsibilities (if any);
- Your specific protocol and animal care and use procedures;
- Hazards involved in your research or teaching;
- How personnel are trained on hazards and occupational health and safety;
- Other relevant aspects of your work.
The AAALAC site visitors understand that not everyone will have knowledge of every aspect. A perfectly acceptable answer to a question is: "I don't know, but I can get the answer for you."
A2. The site team will also be looking at conditions in your space (lab, facility, site). Please see the inspection checklist, but in general please ensure that:
- The physical environment is clean, tidy, and equipment is properly labeled and stored;
- All records are up to date, including training, animal care and emergency contact information;
- Research activities are consistent with approved protocols;
- Appropriate PPE is being used at all times;
- Personnel understand the research, protocols, and SOPs associated with their role in the facility/lab.
Q. What are the possible outcomes of our site visit?
A. The AAALAC Council on Accreditation meets three times a year to decide on the outcome of accreditation visits conducted during that trimester. The final council decision may be Continued Full Accreditation, Conditional Accreditation, Deferred Accreditation, Probation, or Revoke Accreditation. The University of Maryland College Park animal care and use program has had Continued Full Accreditation since 2011.
If you have any questions, please contact iacuc@umd.edu.