Previous Next The animal facility is located at the Chulabhorn Research Institute. The facility is housed in one separate 5-storey building that is connected to the Biomedical Research Building on the Mezzanine and 2nd floors at the ends of 2 wings. The total area is approximately 2,660 square meters. The animal facility is a clean conventional facility. There are separate corridors designated as clean or dirty, and a 1-way workflow through the animal rooms. The ground floor is an open lobby external to the building. The Mezzanine floor is a support area for the building that contains the cage wash area, feed and bedding storage areas, drinking water preparation area, animal receiving room, and laundry area. It also houses the air handling units that serve the Mezzanine floor. The second floor is for general animal research. The third floor is non- clinical GLP study facility. The fourth floor is for inhalation toxicology. The fifth floor houses the air handling units that serve the second, third and fourth floors. Access to the building is restricted to only those who are conducting work in the LAC, which includes LAC personnel, researchers and maintenance personnel.

The CRI Laboratory Animal Center (LAC) has primary responsibility for the day-to-day management of the research animal facility, as well as for implementation of CRI’s ACUP. It is headed by the Director of LAC, a qualified veterinarian with a wealth of experience in care and management of laboratory animal breeding and laboratory animal medicine, and staffed with full-time attending veterinarian, clinical veterinarian, facility engineer, animal technician and animal care workers, all of whom have been appropriately trained in their areas of responsibility and who undergo continual training as necessary according to CRI policy. MISSION Laboratory animal management and husbandry Veterinary preventive medicine and medical care Consultation pertaining to animal care and use, as well as veterinary medical issues in animal use protocol development Support for compliance with animal use protocols carried out in its facilities Training in the care and use of laboratory animals Reporting of requirements to the Institute Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

CRI’s Institute Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is the oversight body for monitoring and enforcing all animal care and use activities in accordance with CRI’s Animal Care and Use Program (ACUP), policies and standard operating procedures, as well as principles and guidelines in Animals for Scientific Purposes Act, Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, 8th ed. (US National Research Council) and the Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (National Research Council of Thailand). The committee comprises CRI animal researchers, non-laboratory animal researchers, veterinarians, statistician, non-scientists and non-affiliated. New IACUC members must attend a minimum of at least one IACUC training program. All IACUC members are encouraged to attend the aforementioned training once every two years thereafter. Continued IACUC training/updating, in the form of relevant articles and discussions, is conducted during IACUC meetings. The Role of the IACUC include reviews the animal care and use program and conducts animal facility inspections, review animal use protocols and significant changes to the use of animals in ongoing activities, monitor post approval animal protocols and prepare reports to the IO of the IACUC evaluations and recommendations.The IACUC generally meets once a month but no less than once every 6 months. The frequency depends, in part,...