An NC State researcher was suspended and is no longer employed by the University following a confirmed report of animal rights noncompliance.
NC State’s Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee, or IACUC, found a “systemic lack of oversight and training” in the researcher’s projects, leading to the suspension of all related animal use activities and all protocols under the researcher.
After the University reported all violations and responding actions to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, or OLAW, acknowledged NC State’s adequate response to the reports, citing no need for further action from its organization.
The IACUC’s report highlighted activities that compromised animal welfare, failing to meet both institutional and federal standards. The violations included denying animals post-surgery pain relief and the death of a rodent, reported on April 5, the morning after surgery had occurred. Following a report from the incident and discussion from the IACUC, the organization euthanized or relocated the animals involved and deactivated all protocols under the researcher’s supervision.
This information was the subject of a letter from NC State Research Compliance to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare that was obtained by SAEN via a public records request.
The April 5 report comes after the IACUC was already actively reviewing a separate death of a rodent reported on Feb. 23.
The watchdog group Stop Animal Exploitation Now, or SAEN, has called for the dismissal of the researcher, or principal investigator, in a letter to Chancellor Randy Woodson. NC State has confirmed the researcher is no longer employed by the University and that the activities in question have been suspended.
NC State University Communications and Marketing issues management specialist Rachel Montesinos Jorro provided a statement on behalf of the University via email.
“NC State reported a case of research noncompliance to federal regulators and promptly suspended the activity of a researcher who is no longer employed by the University,” the statement read. “NC State’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee follows federally approved investigative procedures and follows up on all concerns reported. The office continues to uphold all federal and institutional animal research and welfare regulations.”
Following the April 5 incident, the IACUC convened a quorum on April 18, discussing both the Feb. 23 and April 5 reports. After discussion, the IACUC voted unanimously to suspend all animal use activities conducted by the researcher and the researcher’s personnel, as well as deactivate all protocols under the researcher.
Michael Budkie, Executive Director of SAEN, said the failure to adhere to approved protocols not only endangered animal welfare but also compromised the scientific integrity of the research.
“The fact that they’re not following the protocol means that this science, or this non-science, then becomes non-reproducible,” Budkie said. “And that’s one of the big issues in scientific research right now, is the lack of the ability to reproduce the research. If this had been published, I’m sure they would have published it as though the protocol was followed, and then when someone attempted to reproduce it, they would not have been able to, because they wouldn’t even have known exactly what was done with the animals.”
In a letter notifying OLAW of the report on June 28, the NC State Director of Research Compliance, Mary Millsaps, detailed the events leading to the suspension, identifying noncompliance with the protocol’s monitoring and analgesia requirements. The letter also detailed a series of reinstatement requirements sent to the researcher on April 24.
Upon its notification of the report, OLAW acknowledged NC State’s compliance with federal regulations in response to Millsaps on July 15. The letter assured that the University took the appropriate measures in its review of the matter and there was no need for further action from its office.
