University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
DIVISION OF ANIMAL RESOURCES and
AGRICULTURAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE PROGRAM

Research Requiring Registration with the Institutional Biosafety Committee

The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) serves as the Institutional Biosafety Committee for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as required by the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules. As per the NIH Guidelines and University-policy, registration with the IBC is required for animal users whose work involves any of the following:

• Human materials (e.g., human cell lines; blood or blood products; semen or vaginal secretions; fluids surrounding internal organs, the joints or a fetus; any body fluids contaminated with visible blood; any tissues)
• Any plant, animal or human pathogen
• Transgenic animals (use or creation), including “knock-outs”
• Transgenic plants
• Nonhuman primate materials
• Biotoxins
• Wild mammal materials
• Recombinant DNA (including work that may be considered “exempt” from the NIH Guidelines must be registered*)

* The University is responsible for ensuring that all recombinant DNA research, irrespective of funding source, is conducted “in full conformity with the provisions of the NIH Guidelines”. In order ensure compliance with the Guidelines, University Policy requires that all recombinant DNA work must be registered with the IBC. Penalties for University/Principal Investigator noncompliance may result in: (i) suspension, limitation, or termination of NIH funds for rDNA research at the university, or (ii) a requirement for prior NIH approval of any or all rDNA projects at the University.

IACUC approval is contingent upon IBC approval where applicable. You must register your research project with the IBC to initiate the approval process. The Biological Safety Section (BSS) of the Division of Research Safety (DRS) coordinates project registration. Registration forms and additional information about the registration process may be obtained on the DRS website at: http://phantom.ehs.uiuc.edu/. If you have previously registered your project, you are required to update registration information whenever there are changes in the facilities, personnel, and experimental protocols associated with the project.

Disposal of Experimental Animals

Pathological waste includes animal carcasses, tissues and organs. University policy requires certain types of pathological waste be disposed of by incineration. However, some pathological waste may be appropriate to be sent for rendering via a commercial vendor.

All of the following animals and tissues or organs from these animals must be incinerated:
• Any animal inoculated with infectious agents
• Transgenic animals, potentially transgenic animals, “no-takes” in the production of transgenic animals, and off-spring of transgenic animals.
• All sheep and goats
• Small research animals (e.g., cats, dogs, rabbits, rats, mice, birds, etc.)

There are no exceptions to this policy without prior notification and approval by the Instituional Biolosafety Committee.

Rendering of pigs, horses, and cattle is a disposal option as long as these animals:
• Are not transgenic, potentially transgenic, “no-takes” in the production of transgenic animals, or offspring of transgenic animals
• Have not been inoculated with infectious agents
• Have not been contaminated with radioactive materials
• Are not suspected of having rabies or have been cleared by a negative rabies test
• Do not contain insecticides, herbicides or rodenticides
• Do not contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs)
• Do not contain heavy metals (i.e. lead, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, mercury, selenium)
Also, any adult cattle with a central nervous system disorder should not be rendered.

Any incident involving inadvertent release or improper disposal of biohazardous or recombinant DNA materials, including transgenic animals, must be reported immediately to the Institutional Biosafety Committee via the Biological Safety Section (BSS) of the Division of Research Safety (DRS). BSS can be contacted at 333-2755 and bss@uiuc.edu.

last updated: October 18, 2005