Vertebrate Animals Rules
Rules involving vertebrate animals
The rules involving vertebrate animals were created to help the
2. All of the animals that will use should be approved and tested before the
student researchers to follow the regulations in the animals and
experimentation. The IACUC or Institutional Animal Care and Use
to protect the sake of the animals and the student researchers.
Committee is the approval and reviewer of the animal research at a
The Society forcing the student to use of non-animal studies in the
methodology and persuades the student to use other than animal
research, which must be planned to follow the rules. Here are
some guide that will help the students by doing “Four R’s”:
 Replace the animals with lower life forms,
Invertebrates, culture and simulations
 Reduce the number of animals in the experiment
 Refine the protocol used in the experiment because it
Can damage the animals
 Respect the animals because it contribute a lot to research
If the students need the vertebrate animals, they must add alternatives
for the reduce and refine of the animals.
The student must follow all the rules involving the vertebrate animals
AND the students must read all of that.
The student will not use the whole body of the animals instead only the
tissue will be used. (The tissues of the animals that used in the research
needs a copy of the IACUC certification, the name or title of the research
institution, the title of the student’s study, IACUC date of IACUC approval
and approval number). The student must follow exactly the procedure,
and may not manipulate the procedure.
Animals are defined as:
1. Alive, nonhuman vertebrate embryos or fetuses
2. Frog or tadpoles
3. Reptile needs 3 days or 72 hours before hatching and bird
4. All of the animal vertebrates (not include the humans) at birth
Or hatching
Exception: zebrafish embryos could be up to 7 days or 168 hours
or 1 week post-fertilization because of their cognitive neural that
is not on time to develop
Rules for ALL Vertebrate Animal Studies
1. All studies such as the animal studies should have a research
plan that includes:
a. Uprightness why animals are used, the choice of the
type of animal, the sources of animals, the quantity of the
animals that is to be used; explanation, description, or
identification of the alternatives of animals in the research,
and the explanation why some animals are unacceptable;
explanation of the contribution of animal in research in the
aspects of biology and medicine.
b. The explanation of how animals will used in the experiment,
methodology ,procedures, design of the experiment and data
analysis; explanation of how the students will minimize the pain,
discomfort ,injury, and distress of the animals; identification of
the animals such as sex, age, height, weight, form, and the
number of animals.
They need to be cautious when conducting an experiment and
Regulated Research Institution. The local OR is affiliated fair SRC help the
discomfort ,injury, and distress of the animals; identification of the
student in vertebrate animals conducted in school, home or field. It must
handle laboratory equipments with care.
include a veterinarian or an expert to train the animals with experience.
3. Students must follow the US federal law such as state, local and country
law when performing the research.
4. Animals that will be hurt in the experiment is forbid. It must be
investigated by the Qualified Scientist or Designated Supervisor and
consulted by a veterinarian. All the animal research that will be hurt
must be terminated immediately.
5. All vertebrate animals that will die because of the experiment are
prohibited in any projects
a. Studies that in the experiment the animals will die are prohibited.
b. If there was/were animal/s that was/were died, it will be
investigated by a veterinarian, the Qualified Scientist or the
Designated Supervisor to determine the cause of death. The project
will be postponed until the investigation is complete.
c. If the cause of the death is in the experiment, the study will be
disqualified.
6. All animals must not be stressed and loss of weight. The maximum
permitted weight loss is 15%. The BCS systems or the body conditioning
scoring should be included in the research design and animals should be
monitored regularly
7. The students are forbidden to design or participate in an experiment with
the ff types of researches on vertebrate animals:
a. Toxic substances that will cause the animal to die
b. Use of conditioning include the aversive stimuli ,induced
helplessness or mother/infant separation
c. Studies of pain
d. Predator/vertebrate prey studies
8. It is required for an experimental design that it is justification involves
food or fluid restriction and it must be appropriate to the species. If the
student don’t follow the rules and it exceeds 18 hours, the study will be
approved and reviewed by an IACUC and it will be conducted by the
. RRI or Regulated Research Institution.
9. Animals should be approved of the authorized before doing the study.
All of the methods and precaution should be used in order to be
successful.
10. Designated Supervisor or Qualified Scientist must be aware of the study
or research about animals except for the observational studies.
11. If the student want to change in the Research plan/project summary
of the project after the initial SRC approval, it must be repeated before
the experimentation/data collection.

Exempt Studies(Do Not Require SRC
Preapproval)
1. Application of the studies including the attitude of the animals must be
exempted from the prior SRC review:
a. There must be no interaction between the animals and the student
b. There should be no manipulation in the animals
c. The student should follow the rules and regulation of all animals
A. Additional Rules for Projects Conducted
at School/Home/Field
Vertebrate animal studies can be conducted at a school, in the field, ranch,
home, farm ,etc. This includes:
1. Study of animals in their habitat or environment
2. Study of animals in zoo
3. Study of livestock that practice the standard agriculture
4. Study of fish that practice the standard aquaculture
These projects should be examined by the veterinarian, or expert/with
experience in species being studied.
1. These projects should satisfy the ff guidelines:
a. The research includes only behavioral ,supplemental nutritional
observational, or agricultural studies on animals.
AND
b. The research don’t recommend the materials that causes an animal
to die.
If the research doesn’t meet the requirements in Section A, it must be
conducted in a RRI.
2. The animals should treated like a normal person such as kindly, cared,
housed in a clean, ventilated, comfortable environment, continuous
cleaning, food supply, cleaned cages, pens, and fish tanks. A Designated
Supervisor must observe the daily health of the animals. Any of the ff US
documents used as a guide:
 Federal Animal Welfare Regulation
 Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
 Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural
Research and Teaching (Ag- Guide)
 Quality Assurance Manuals (for the appropriate species)
3. The local or affiliated fair Scientific Review Committee must know if the
veterinarian’s certification and animal husbandry plan is required before
experimentation and is documented on Vertebrate Animal Form 5A such
as the supplemental nutrition ,administration of prescription drugs
and/or activities that encountered in the animal’s daily life.
4. If the animals have an illness or emergency, the proper medical or nursing
care by a veterinarian . The study will be stopped when there is a
unexpected weight loss or death of the animal used in the
experimentation. If the cause of death of the animal is not in the
experiment, the study will resume but if the cause is in the experiment,
the study will be disqualified.
5. The final disposition of animals must conduct in the way it suppose to be,
and should be described on Vertebrate Animal Form 5A.
6. Euthanasia for the removal of tissues and/or pathological analysis is
forbidden for a study that will conduct in the school/field site/home.
7. Fish that raised for food may be euthanized by a qualified adult for the
carcass evaluation.
8. The ff forms are required:
a. Checklist for Adult Sponsor(1), Student Checklist (1A), Research
Plan/Project Summary, and Approval Form (1B)
b. Vertebrate Animal Form (5A)
c. Qualified Scientist Form (2), when applicable
B. Additional Rules for Projects Conducted
in a Regulated Research Institution
All studies that is not satisfy the rules and regulations in Section A that is
under ISEF rules should be conducted in a RRI. RRI is a professional research
or teaching institution within the US. In case that he project is outside the
US, RRI follows to country laws governing the care and used of vertebrate
animals.
Some rules that satisfy in a RRI are not allowed for participation in the Intel
ISEF; following to RRI rules is a must nut may not be sufficient.
1. The IACUC must approve all that include in the study and review to
know whether the study satisfy the ISEF rules. This responsibility should
be satisfy or follow before the experimentation begins.
2. Student Researcher are not allowed to perform euthanasia unless it is
done after the experimentation for removal of tissues and/or
pathological analysis. All of the performance of euthanasia must follow
the AVMA or American Veterinarian Medical Association guidelines.
3. Titles that causes the animal to be injured that is not relieved are not
allowed.
4. If the project uses a drugs of unknown effect is allowed when the
distress of animal is observed. The project will be suspend if the drug
used is not observed. The project can resumes if the students follow the
rules and regulations to the casual factors.
5. The ff forms are required:
a. Checklist for Adult Sponsor (1), Student Checklist (1A), Research
Plan/Project Summary, and Approval Form (1B)
b. RRI Forms (1C)
c. Qualified Scientist Form (2)
d. Vertebrate Animal Form (5B)
e. PHBA Risk Assessment Form (6A)- for all studies involving tissues
and body fluids
f. Human and Vertebrate Animal Tissue Form (6B)- for all studies
involving tissues and body fluids.
 Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents (PHBA) Rules
Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents Rules for use of microorganisms (including bacteria,
viruses, viroids, prions ,rickettsia ,fungi and parasites), recombinant DNA technologies or
human or animal fresh/frozen tissues ,blood, or body fluids.

Students are allowed to do research with the hazardous materials as long as
they will follow the rules of the hazardous materials.
If the research is about hazardous materials, it must be involved the risk
assessment on Form( 6A). The form will determine if the study will continue
or not.
All projects involved in this category must follow the rules AND there are
additional rules.
Rules for ALL Studies with Potentially
Hazardous Biological Agents (PHBA)
1. Reviewing and approving the study is important for the use of hazardous
microorganisms.
11. Plant pathogens can be studied but cannot be introduced at home
12. All hazardous materials after the experiment should be thrown properly
per biosafety level.
13. If the student wants to change the research plan/project summary, they
must undergo to SRC or IBC to be reviewed and approved before the
experimentation continues.
14. The following forms are required:
a. Checklist for Adult Sponsor (1), Student Checklist (1A), Research
Plan/Project summary, and Approval Form(1B)
b. Regulated Research Institution Form (1C)- when applicable
c. Qualified Scientist (2), when applicable

2. The SRC, IBC, or an IACUC must approve the project before the
experimentation begins for the safety of both the student and the
microorganism.

3. The experimentation like the BSL-1 organisms is not allowed in home

unless when they are transferred in the laboratory.

4. The BSL-1 will determine if the project is safe in Biosafety level 1. That’s
why the student conducting the experiment need to be safe.

5. In biosafety level 2, it is required to go to laboratory in a BSL-2 and it

must be approved and reviewed.

6. Students are not allowed inn joining the BSL-3 to 4

7. The MDROs or the multidrug resistant organisms must write a

justification to be conducted at a laboratory like RRI with a minimum of
BSL-2.

8. The student could not generally engineered an organisms but it is

allowed.

9. When selecting and sub-culturing anti-biotic resistant organisms, it is the

time the student make extreme caution such as only in BSL-1 and 2 are
allowed.

10. Including the BSL-2 containment is the culturing of human or animal

waste likes sewage sludge.

b. Regulated Research Institution Form (1C)- when applicable

c. Qualified Scientist (2), when applicable