Research and Sponsored Programs

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) holds oversight of the designing, conducting, and reporting of all activities (research, teaching, testing, and demonstrations) involving vertebrate animal subjects on the WCU campus. At West Chester University (WCU), IACUC falls under the purview of the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (USDA, APHIS) and the National Institutes of Health, Office of Laboratory and Animal Welfare (NIH, OLAW) to ensure that all members of the university community comply with federal and state regulations, policies, and guidelines for the ethical treatment of animals. The WCU IACUC is dedicated to assuring the humane care and use of animals involved in research, teaching, and service performed by our faculty, staff, and students.

If you are conducting any research, teaching, testing, and/or demonstrations involving vertebrate animal subjects physically on the WCU campus or in association with WCU, you will need IACUC approval to do so.

If you are conducting any research, teaching, testing, and/or demonstrations involving invertebrate animal subjects physically on the WCU campus or in association with WCU, IACUC approval is not required. However, we are still happy to provide guidance upon request.

You can reach out to the IACUC chair directly with any questions surrounding any IACUC-related activities.

IACUC chair: Dr. Kristen Breit, KBreit@wcupa.edu, 610-436-3523

The IACUC will meet for a minimum of two in-person animal facility inspections and annual review meetings per year (one per semester). These meetings are required to conduct any formal business, such as adoption of policies or procedures, approval of semiannual reviews, and full committee protocol reviews.

In addition, the IACUC will hold either in-person or virtual meetings for additional protocol reviews at the beginning and middle of each semester (as needed). 

A quorum of greater than 50% of all voting members must be present to conduct formal business.

For protocol review, the IACUC may utilize either full committee review (FCR) or designated member review (DMR) as applicable. An FCR requires a quorum of the IACUC to meet in person to review a protocol, whereas a DMR involves one or more IACUC members designated by the Chair to review a protocol.

Any new protocols or significant modifications to a protocol (as defined by the NIH OLAW) will require a FCR, whereas a DMR can be used for protocol renewals (with no changes), protocol revisions, and/or minor modifications to a protocol (as defined by the NIH OLAW).

Upon receipt of any protocol, the Chair will make the protocol available to all IACUC members for a period of five business days prior to any review and indicate whether it requires FCR or DMR. For a protocol undergoing DMR, each IACUC member has a right to request a FCR within this 5-day period. If no member requests a FCR after five business days, the protocol will remain as DMR.

If a protocol is deemed as requiring an FCR, it will enter the queue for the next upcoming protocol review period. If a protocol is deemed as requiring DMR, it will be reviewed within two weeks.

After your protocol is reviewed (either FCR or DMR), you will receive an electronic notification of the IACUC’s decision: approval, approval pending modifications, or approval withheld. including the approved protocol or any edits needed to approve the protocol.

• If your protocol is “approved”, you are immediately approved to begin data collection.
• If your protocol is “approval pending modifications”, a query letter is sent to you indicating the modifications that are required to secure final approval. You will be advised to submit the requested information at your earliest convenience. Upon re-submission, a DMR will take place to determine if the response is adequate. If the information is satisfactory, a final approval letter will be sent to the PI within two weeks.
• If your protocol is deemed as having “approval withheld”, you will need to resubmit a substantially revised protocol. A letter will be sent to you indicating that the committee has voted to withhold approval of the study, the reasons for this determination, any issues that must be addressed in a revised protocol, and recommendations for consultation with the IACUC Chair or veterinarian for guidance and assistance prior to submission of a revised protocol. Upon re-submission, your protocol will enter the queue as an FCR for the next upcoming protocol review period.

To inquire about specific meeting dates or other questions about IACUC protocol reviews, please contact the IACUC chair (Dr. Kristen Breit, 610-436-3523, KBreit@wcupa.edu).

 Common protocol concerns include (but are not limited to) a lack of background literature for the study design, lack of justification for activities, lack of detail for activities, lack of rationale for animal number calculations, and/or missing critical information needed for the IACUC to make a confident decision. 

In general, common protocol concerns demonstrate a lacking in one or more areas of the “3Rs” principle: replacement, reduction, and/or refinement.

You will need to complete an "Agency Notification Request" form if an approval letter is needed for a funding agency.

Please contact the WCU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) research@wcupa.edu to make this request.

Any proposed changes in animal species, numbers, or procedures from those in an approved protocol must be reviewed by the IACUC. Minor changes can be proposed by re-submitting your past approved submission and may be treated as a DMR. Major changes may necessitate submission of a new protocol form and may require an FCR. 

Please contact the IACUC chair for questions surrounding protocol changes (Dr. Kristen Breit, 610-436-3523, KBreit@wcupa.edu). 

For protocols which extend beyond one year but which do not substantially depart from a previously approved research plan, you can re-submit your past approved; these will likely be reviewed as a DMR.

For protocols with substantial changes, a new protocol form must be submitted; these will likely be reviewed as an FCR. 

Please contact the IACUC chair for questions surrounding protocol renewals (Dr. Kristen Breit, 610-436-3523, KBreit@wcupa.edu).

In accordance with federal guidelines, the IACUC will consist of at least five members and include the following:

• At least one veterinarian with training or experience in laboratory animal science and medicine, who has direct or delegated authority and responsibility for activities involving animals at the institution
• At least one practicing scientist experienced in research with animals
• At least one member whose primary concerns are in a nonscientific area (e.g., ethicist, lawyer, member of the clergy)
• At least one member who is not affiliated with the institution other than as a member of the IACUC
• The chair is elected by the members of the committee

The current WCU IACUC members are:

• Dr. Kristen Breit (chair, scientist member)
• Dr. Aaron Rundus (alternate chair, scientist member)
• Dr. Erin Gestl (scientist, member)
• Dr. Michelle Rupp (veterinarian)
• Dr. William Singleton (consulting veterinarian)
• Kathryn DiBona (non-scientist member)
• Jeanne Kennedy (non-affiliated member)

The IACUC is more than happy to discuss IACUC-related activities with any interested parties. This includes one-on-one and group conversations in both formal and informal settings.

Please contact the IACUC chair for IACUC-related information requests (Dr. Kristen Breit, 610-436-3523, KBreit@wcupa.edu).

All potential animal welfare concerns are taken seriously by IACUC. Any potential animal welfare complaints must be submitted to the IACUC Chair in writing (Dr. Kristen Breit, KBreit@wcupa.edu). Complaints should provide detailed information about alleged misconduct including date/time and the names of any potential witnesses. 

The IACUC Chair and veterinarian (or a designee if the complaint is directed to the Chair or veterinarian) will meet with the relevant Dean and the IO to evaluate the complaint to determine whether there is sufficient cause to warrant further investigation.

If there is sufficient cause to warrant further investigation he IACUC Chair and veterinarian (or designee if the complaint is directed at the Chair or veterinarian) will form a Hearing Panel to adjudicate all complaints related to animal abuse in research laboratories or teaching facilities at the university. Immediate steps will be taken to protect the animals involved. This may include veterinary or medical intervention. 

Additional information for further steps in animal welfare concern procedures are detailed in the “WCU Care and Use of Animals in Research Policy ”.

WCU Faculty can hold service positions within the WCU IACUC. We would love to have your input! IACUC positions are held for 3-year terms, but there is no limit to how many IACUC members can be active overall.

Please contact the IACUC chair for questions surrounding potential IACUC involvement (Dr. Kristen Breit, 610-436-3523, KBreit@wcupa.edu).