10/15/92

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How the A-PLAC committee keeps the paperwork (somewhat) under control

STANFORD -- "Every protocol has to be 40 pages long!" one researcher said, talking about the added paperwork for a project involving animal research.

While this is not entirely true - renewals and amendments may be much shorter - the animal-care approval requirement does add to a scientist's paperwork burdens.

Working with Kathy McClelland, the research compliance officer with the Office of Sponsored Projects, and Valerie Fratus, the animal subjects coordinator, here is how the Administrative Panel on Laboratory Animal Care (A-PLAC) tries to be both complete and streamlined:

A dialogue begins with the researcher.

They pass their questions back to the investigators electronically, via McClelland and Fratus. They may ask: Does the project need this many animals? Won't that procedure cause unnecessary stress?

With questions resolved, most protocols are nominated for approval.

In a few cases, they ask that the project be monitored by veterinary staff until they are satisfied that it can be conducted humanely.

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