On the Use of Non-Pharmaceutical Grade Chemicals (Non-PGCs)

RELEASE OF NEW POSITION PAPER

The ANU Ethics Team and Veterinarians have spent many months researching, consulting with research groups and finalising an agreed position on the use of Non-Pharmaceutical Grade Compounds (Non-PGCs) in animal work. Recently endorsed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation), the documents are now available on the ethics website and have been passed on to School Directors and Animal Facility Managers directly for circulation to animal users in their areas.

The two position papers provide detail on requirements when using Non-PGCs as both discovery compounds and for anaesthesia and euthanasia situations. The information paper gives details on the timeline for implementation and how to investigate options to comply with these new requirements. If you have any queries please contact either the Ethics Team or the University Senior Veterinarian.

New ANU Standards, Guidelines and Templates Released for Animal Based Research

The ANU Veterinarians and Research Ethics Team, in consultation with the AEEC, have developed a range of new standards, guidelines and templates to assist those undertaking animal based research.

The new documents aim to provide clear guidance to the expectations and standards of care for the ANU and assist research staff with preparing applications to the AEEC.

The documents have been approved by the AEEC and can be referenced (title, number and version) in applications where there is no deviation from the published version. If deviation from the approved guidelines and standards are required, this should be clearly stipulated and well detailed in the application to the AEEC.

Work is continuing to increase the number of up to date and approved documents available. The list of recently released documents is below and they can be viewed at: https://services.anu.edu.au/research-support/ethics-integrity/animal-ethics-policies-guidelines-and-forms

Guidelines and Standards

> Guidelines for animal transport
> Guidelines for injection techniques in mice
> Animal analgesia and anaesthesia standards
> Animal surgery standards

Templates

Templates have been developed in line with the standards for researchers to tailor for the monitoring of animals in specific experiments, these include:

> Anaesthesia and surgery monitoring-mammals
> Rodent scoring template

Under development/currently being updated

> Minimum training standards for animal researchers
> Guideline for the use of volunteer investigators on animal based projects
> Guideline for the use of surplus rodents for training
> Guideline for undertaking research involving animals overseas

If there are specific guidelines or templates you would like to see developed please let us know at animal.ethics@anu.edu.au

When submitting a new animal ethics application research staff should check the latest version on the animal ethics website.

If significant changes are made to a document and there is a requirement to supersede a previous version, this will be communicated to you on our website and via the newsletter.

Data Storage and Management

ANU research data and records should be securely and safely stored. When research data is destroyed, this must be in accordance with all legal and ethical obligations - i.e., in a confidential, secure manner, with the agreement of all collaborators. Data that is related to allegations of misconduct or challenged research results must not be destroyed.

Sharing of data is important in animal research. Use of existing databases is a way to replace or reduce the use of animals, and your research data could be used in this way. ANU strongly recommends that researchers put in place a Data Management Plan which details the procedures for the collection, storage, use, re-use, access, retention and destruction of research data.

For more information, see ANU library resource on Research Data Management.