IRB, IBC, and IACUC Updates for Spring 2021

By Patrick Luker, January 18, 2021

IRB, IACUC, AND IBC UPDATES FOR SPRING 2021

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The Institutional Review Board is pleased to announce the appointment of a new committee chair, Patrick McKeon, Associate Professor, HSHP.  Patrick comes to the chair position after many years on the committee participating in the review, at all levels, of human subjects research at the college.  Patrick is excited for this opportunity and looks forward to being able to serve the research community in this new role.

This announcement comes on the bittersweet departure of Jennifer Muller, Associate Professor, H&S, from the committee.  Jennifer served on the IRB for many years both as a member and as chair. During her tenure as chair, she guided the implementation of the new Federal Common Rule and also updated our IRB policies and procedures.    We applaud Jennifer’s service and wish her the very best.

The IRB committee’s first meeting of the spring semester will be on Monday, 01 February.  Please plan to submit any research proposals for review at this meeting by Friday, 22 January.

Standard and Delegated Review Applications MUST be received on the SUBMISSION DATES by 5:00 pm to be reviewed by the committee at the next scheduled meeting.

Expedited and Exempt Applications may be sent at any time. Committee members have 10 business days to review and respond (in the summer this may vary).

Send all applications electronically through Axiom Mentor.

See https://www.ithaca.edu/sponsored-research/institutional-review-board-ir… for more information, including the remaining meeting schedule and submission due dates for the Spring 2021 semester.

Forms and additional information may also be found on the IRB website (www.ithaca.edu/sponsored-research/institutional-review-board-irb). Please direct submissions and inquiries to irb@ithaca.edu

Please note:  all research involving in-person human participants MUST comply with the policies and procedures, including the submission of a health and safety plan, as published in the Provost’s message to the campus community on Dec. 21, 2020.  Please refer to the Provost’s message here.

Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

We’d like to welcome Jamie Ellis, Assistant Professor, H&S, as the new chair to the Institutional Biosafety Committee.  In addition to having served on the IBC committee for the past few years, Jamie brings to the chair position her extensive knowledge and experience as a faculty member of Ithaca College’s Chemistry department.

The Sponsored Research Office and Ithaca College would like to thank Jim Yaggie for his tenure serving the IBC as chair.  We wish him the very best.

Protocols for review at the Spring 2021 IBC meeting on Wednesday, 03 February, must be received by Monday, 25 January, at 5pm.

A reminder for all faculty who use any nucleus acids in their research or classes. Federal guidelines now require registration with the Biosafety Committee even if the research is at the BSL-1 level. Initial registration requires the following forms: Registration for the Use of Biological Materials, Registration of Experiments/Activities Involving Nucleic Acids, List of Laboratory Personnel, Researcher Experience Form

All faculty planning to conduct research or classroom activity involving any kind of nucleic acids, including genomes, plasmids, or short nucleic acid sequences, or any potentially bio-hazardous material, including pathogens, biological toxins, or human cells, tissues, organs or fluids must obtain prior approval from the Institutional Biosafety Committee before undertaking that activity. This committee provides federally mandated oversight of activities that present risk of infection or illness in humans.

Please note that research involving viruses or exposure to pathogenic viruses is NOT allowed at Ithaca College.

Faculty who have submitted forms that were approved last year need only to fill out an update form and a new laboratory personnel form.

Federal guidelines require that applicants possess prior experience with a particular agent or procedure, and those supervising the activity should be familiar with proper safety precautions, procedures involving storage, and disposal. A link to federal guidelines can be found on the Institutional Biosafety website.

Forms and additional information may also be found on the Biosafety website (www.ithaca.edu/sponsored-research/institutional-biosafety-committee). Please direct submissions and inquiries to biosafety@ithaca.edu.

If you are conducting research in the lab or other location that includes more than yourself as the PI (e.g., other faculty, students), please provide a listing of lab personnel and also a safety plan for review by the HSAG. This approved safety plan must be attached to your Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) protocol.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Chair:  Leann Kanda

Protocols for review at the Friday, 05 February meeting must be received by Wednesday, 27 January at 5pm.

Investigators or instructors planning to use vertebrate animals in research and/or teaching should contact the IACUC prior to the start of such activities to determine whether an IACUC-approved animal protocol is needed.

To submit a protocol for spring 2021 ONLY, please deliver to iacuc@ithaca.edu 

For questions about animal care and use policies, specific reviews, procedures, and all other technical matters, please send an email to iacuc@ithaca.edu Forms and additional information may also be found on the IACUC website (www.ithaca.edu/sponsored-research/institutional-animal-care-and-use-com…

If you are conducting research in the lab or other location that includes more than yourself as the PI (e.g., other faculty, students), please provide a listing of lab personnel and also a safety plan for review by the HSAG. This approved safety plan must be attached to your Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocol.

NOTE:  for all three committees, please remember to keep your Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) certification up-to-date.  See:  https://www.ithaca.edu/wpm_preview/site/sponsoredresearch/cititraining/

If you have any questions, please contact Patrick Luker, Sponsored Research Project Coordinator, at pluker@ithaca.edu or Warren Calderone at wcalderone@ithaca.edu.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Patrick Luker at pluker@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-1206. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.