Or Call 1-800-303-0129

Introducing Laboratory Animal Welfare Compliance

The monthly update on regulatory and ethical compliance for scientists whose research involves the care and use of laboratory animals

Laboratory Animal Welfare Compliance monthly newsletter is published by the Principal Investigators Association (a nonprofit corporation) in partnership with Research Resources Inc. The same entities also publish the monthly subscription newsletter Principal Investigator Advisor, the association's official periodical.

Editorial Stance: Like its sister publication, Laboratory Animal Welfare Compliance is independent. It is not affiliated with any other organization, institution, state or federal agency, or advertiser. It is funded through subscriber and membership fees.

The welfare of laboratory animals — mainly small rodents, but many larger species as well — is protected and safeguarded, both in the United States and in many other countries, by government agencies, institutions, and professional societies.

The newsletter is intended to help principal investigators (PIs) who oversee and conduct research involving animals assure their compliance with all regulatory and ethical standards pertaining to the animals' care and use. Other scientists concerned with laboratory animal welfare, including members of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees, veterinarians and administrators, also will find the information in LAWC useful and practical.

The publication focuses on how animal-welfare regulations are to be interpreted and applied in a wide range of laboratory scenarios. Thus, it offers little coverage of general lab-animal news, clinical cases, surgical techniques, animal- breeding issues, etc.

To gather information, reporters and editors interview laboratory-animal experts worldwide in government, academia, industry and elsewhere.  Most content is in the form of "how-to" articles, case histories, best practices, and expert advice. An editorial advisory board composed of individuals distinguished in several fields related to laboratory-animal welfare serves as a resource for the editor, answering questions and suggesting topics and interviews.

Here is a partial list of the kind of help lab-animal PIs can expect each month from LAWC:

	Preparing for lab inspections		Handling lab-space disputes
	Working with your IACUC		Gaining more lab space and resources
	Working with OLAW, USDA and other agencies		Strengthening grant applications
	Correcting noncompliance issues		Protecting animals in disasters
	Improving pain management		Maintaining approved facilities
	The campus vet as ally		Conducting effective meetings
	Keeping up with paperwork		Compliance with the AWA
	Mentoring students and post-docs		Understanding per-diem animal charges
	Tips for supervising lab techs		Best practices for allocating costs and cost sharing
	Assuring animal-research integrity