Principal Investigator Mark T Whary
Co-investigator Barbara L O'Pray
The Animal Welfare Act and Public Health Service mandate the existence, structure and function of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). At MIT, the IACUC is called the Committee on Animal Care (CAC), and its members are appointed by President Susan Hockfield. The CAC has 13 to 15 members and attempts a balance between scientists and nonscientists. There is at least one member who is not affiliated with MIT.
MIT's Committee on Animal Care (CAC) was established to ensure that all MIT, WIBR, and Broad Institute researchers working with animals or making funds available to support other researchers’ work with animals comply with federal, state, local, and institutional regulations on animal care. To that end, the CAC inspects animals, animal facilities and laboratories, and reviews all research and teaching exercises which involve animals before activities are performed.
All research and teaching exercises involving any of the following must obtain prior approval from the CAC:
(1) Live or dead vertebrates (including embryos, wild-caught, purpose-bred, or donations);
(2) Field observations of vertebrates that involve handling or disruption of their habitat;
(3) Use of vertebrate tissues