Topic

Protocol Submission Deadlines & Who to Submit to (Animal Research & Teaching)

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Please Note

The LACCs are currently only reviewing new (original) AUP submissions that are directly related to COVID-19 research and have been explicitly approved by the Incident Management Team.

LACCs are still meeting virtually each month to review renewals/amendments for previously approved protocols.

Who is this for?

Anyone involved with animal research or teaching at the University of Toronto (U of T), including those in the following roles.

Professor, Faculty Member
Teaching Stream Faculty
Principal Investigator Assistants (PIAs) with My Research Animal Protocol (MRAP) privileges

What do I need before I can begin?

If the project you are proposing does not have peer reviewed funding, please refer to Peer Review for Scientific Merit to determine the process for obtaining scientific merit review at U of T.

If the project you are proposing is for teaching, please refer to Requirements for Animal Use in Teaching for the process for obtaining pedagogical merit review at U of T

A valid UTORid for access to My Research Animal Protocols.

FAQs

How does the COVID-19 situation affect my protocol renewal?

As you’ve done in the past, please continue to submit your renewals for review and approval in advance of the protocol expiry date.

If you would like to update your protocol in advance of submitting a renewal, please submit an amendment as usual.

Renewing your protocols on time will help reduce the LACC review backlog when research resumes and is critical for protocols where animals are on hand in the facility during the research shutdown.

When submitting your protocol renewal, you can:

1) revise/update your protocol and submit your renewal as you normally would do

or

2) submit your protocol 'as is' with no change; once research starts up again, you can submit an amendment to incorporate any new projects, changes to existing projects, etc.

Animal Use Protocol Submissions

Animal Use Protocols (AUPs) (original submissions, renewals, or amendments) must be submitted via My Research Animal Protocols (MRAP) by 11:59pm on the following dates to allow the Local Animal Care Committee (LACC) sufficient time to review each AUP prior to the monthly meeting. Submissions received after the deadline will be deferred to the next meeting.

Minor amendments that only involve administrative changes (e.g., additions/removal of research personnel) are eligible for expedited review and approval by the Animal Ethics & Compliance Manager (AECM).

For additional information see My Research Animal Protocols.

Submission Deadlines and LACC Meeting Dates

Health Sciences LACC

If you are using animals for research or teaching and you work out of a Division of Comparative Medicine animal facility, such as the Medical Sciences Building (MSB) or the Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research (CCBR), you will submit your protocol to the Health Sciences LACC.

AUP Submission Deadline	Meeting Date
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 *Early due to holiday closure	Wednesday, January 08, 2020
Monday, January 20, 2020	Wednesday, February 05, 2020
Monday, February 17, 2020	Wednesday, March 04, 2020
Monday, March 16, 2020	Wednesday, April 01, 2020
Monday, April 20, 2020	Wednesday, May 06, 2020
Monday, May 18, 2020	Wednesday, June 03, 2020
Monday, June 22, 2020	Wednesday, July 08, 2020
Monday, July 20, 2020	Wednesday, August 05, 2020

Biological Sciences LACC

If you are using animals for research or teaching and you work out of the Biological Support Facility (BSF), University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), or University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) animal facilities, you will submit your AUP to the Biological Sciences LACC. All field work is also reviewed by the Biological Sciences LACC.

AUP Submission Deadline	Meeting Date
Tuesday, December 03, 2019	Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Tuesday, January 07, 2020	Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Tuesday, February 04, 2020	Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Tuesday, March 03, 2020	Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Tuesday, March 31, 2020	Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Tuesday, May 05, 2020	Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Tuesday, June 02, 2020	Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Tuesday, July 07, 2020	Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Tuesday, August 04, 2020	Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Interim Review

The interim review mechanism was put in place to allow the expedited review of AUPs that cannot wait for review until the next meeting. Any AUP submission (original submissions, renewals, or amendments) that has ‘interim review’ requested, must include clear justification for interim review.

The AECM will determine if the justification provided is sufficient grounds for interim review, as it requires significant resources for the LACC to perform interim reviews. If an interim review is not explicitly requested and justified, the submission will be assigned to the next available LACC meeting for review.

Please note that all submissions that undergo interim review and approval are subject to full committee review at the next available LACC meeting and should only be considered provisionally approved until they have received full committee approval.