Public Comment requested on the NIH adopting the updated Guide

The National Institute's of Health has issued a Federal Register Notice requesting public comments on:

1) NIH’s adoption of the eighth edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and

2) NIH’s proposed implementation that would require that institutions perform at least one semiannual program and facility evaluation using the eighth edition by March 31, 2012.

NIH encourages comments to be entered at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/2011guidecomments/add.htm. Comments must be received on or before March 25, 2011. Comments will be made publicly available after March 25, 2011.

See the NIH Guide Notice: NOT-OD-11-042.

Final version of the updated Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals now available

It's here! The Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) has announced the publication of the final version of the 8th Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. This is the primary reference used by institutions who are engaged in the humane treatment of animals in research, testing, and teaching. The 2010 edition replaces the Guide, which was last updated in 1996, and includes recently published data, scientific principles, and expert opinion to recommend practices for responsible laboratory animal use.

Go to http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12910 to view and/or purchase a copy.

Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research webinar

Registration for the June 4, 2009 webinar at at 1:00 PM ET - If It's Not Broken, Improve It: New Strategies in Laboratory Animal Care - is still open, but closes on Tuesday, June 2.

This 90-minute intermediate/advanced-level webinar for animal program directors, facility/program operations managers, vice presidents of research/research policymakers, institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) office directors, and veterinarians will provide information about:

Enabling Change in Laboratory Animal Management – Learn new operational strategies that incorporate continuous improvement and workforce empowerment adapted from Toyota's Production Systems (TPS) that can significantly improve efficiency, cost, and quality within any animal program.

and

Expanding the Concept of Medicine in Laboratory Animal Care – Explore opportunities for lab animal medicine to grow beyond its historical emphasis on preventive medicine and more recent practice of palliative medicine, by considering applications in restorative medicine without compromising protocol endpoints.

Register now at http://www.primr.org/Conferences.aspx?id=6653