Animal Use in Research and Education

The University at Buffalo recognizes that scientific and medical knowledge gained through animal research has saved countless lives, has improved human and animal health and has alleviated global pain and suffering. This research is an essential component of medical advancement which leads to medical breakthroughs and better disease treatment modalities for humans and animals alike. Some of the top researchers in the country are working at UB researching treatments for cancer, heart attacks and strokes using animal research. UB does not test consumer goods (e.g. cosmetics) on animals.

UB's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) reviews all sections of a research and/or teaching protocol that involves vertebrate animals.  Federal and state statutes as well as the Public Health Service’s Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals requires that all research institutions utilize a properly constituted IACUC composed of members with scientific expertise, at least one trained veterinarian and nonscientists and unaffiliated members for outside perspective. Under these regulatory mandates, UB's IACUC is charged with the responsibility and authority for oversight of the proper care and use of all vertebrate animals utilized in research and teaching through the university.

UB's IACUC upholds the use of the Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations codified in Title 9 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 1, Subchapter A, Parts 1, 2 and 3. In addition, the IACUC utilizes the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals as a primary foundational reference to evaluate and oversee the animal care and use program. As promoted by The Guide, the IACUC strives to apply the principles of the “3Rs” in every aspect of the animal program-Replacement (using non-animal alternatives), Reduction (minimizing the number of animals) and Refinement (ensuring the least painful and least distressing procedures are in place).