IACUC Exemption Requests

In accordance with the Animal Welfare Act, Public Health Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy) and The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) IACUC bylaws, all research, instructional, and/or testing activities conducted at, or in association with UTC that use animals must be reviewed and approved by the IACUC.

Certain activities may not require IACUC review and approval; however, the activities must first be reviewed by the IACUC to determine whether the proposed activity is exempt from UTC’s standard IACUC review and approval process. 

Standard IACUC review and approval processes may not be required for animal use activities that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Non-cephalopod invertebrates, such as insects
• Purely observational activities that are unlikely to alter or influence the biology, behavior or ecology of the study animals or other species (e.g. collection of fecal droppings, observations of a zoo exhibit)
• Activities with the eggs of avian or other egg-laying vertebrate species (e.g. fish, amphibians, reptiles) prior to hatching
• Animal tissues or organs collected from animals euthanized under an existing IACUC approved protocol
• Animal tissues or organs acquired from commercial sources (i.e. grocery stores, scientific supply companies)
• Animal tissues and organs from colleagues with approved animal protocols in place at their facilities
• Animal tissues and organs collected with approved animal protocols at prior institutions and brought to UTC by the PI

PIs who are unsure or believe their activity may be exempt from the IACUC review and approval process should complete the IACUC Exemption Application Form and submit it to [email protected]. Not only is it best practice to receive a formal determination from the IACUC exempting activities from IACUC oversight, but some scientific journals may also require an exemption letter prior to publishing studies that did not undergo a standard IACUC review and approval.

For more information about Exemption requests, please see IACUC SOP # 9: IACUC Exempt Activities and Exemption Review Process.