Professor Christiane Ruedl
Chairperson, NTU-IACUC

The NTU Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) was founded more than ten years ago to fulfill the University's responsibilities for the use of animals in research and teaching and it reports since 2017 to the NTU Research Integrity and Ethics Office.

To ensure a proper and responsible use of laboratory animals, a diverse spectrum of members including a veterinary, scientific and non-scientific NTU professors as well as representatives from the general public are appointed every two years and work close together to assure animal welfare. It is the responsibility of the IACUC to ensure that all work performed with research laboratory animals at NTU animal facilities complies with the National Advisory Committee for Laboratory Animal Research (NACLAR) guidelines.

Committee members review all protocols involving animal experimentation and ensure that animals are housed in appropriate state-of-the-art animal facilities, which currently are located at Yunnan and Novena NTU campuses. We embrace the principles known as "the three Rs": reducing the number of animals used to the minimum necessary, replacing animals with other options whenever possible, and refining practices to ensure the most humane conditions and procedures possible.

The NTU IACUC also ensures that researchers and animal care staff are appropriately trained and qualified to care for the animals under their supervision. Recently, the NTU IACUC promoted also an Occupational Health and Safety Program for individuals who have animal contact in the course of their employment, training or studies.