Dear PIs,

Please be informed that submissions for review at the 19 January 2026 IACUC meeting must be received by Monday, 8 December 2025.

This earlier deadline is a one-time adjustment due to the December holiday period and does not affect submission deadlines for other months.

Submissions received between 9 December 2025 and 19 January 2026 (inclusive) will be reviewed at the 19 February 2026 IACUC meeting.

Thank you.

IACUC Office 

Dear PIs,

Thank you for attending the IACUC Townhall in August 2025.  The slides presented are attached for your perusal.

Do take note of the following two items –

i) Guides to completing IACUC protocols (attached) are aimed to provide guidance to researchers in completing the protocol forms. Your feedback on the Guides is much appreciated.

ii) Updated workflow on protocol extension. A separate email on this matter (attached) was disseminated on 28 October 2025.

The slide deck and Guides have been uploaded to https://inetapps.nus.edu.sg/iacuc/townhall%2005%20Aug%2025.html

Please circulate and share the documents with all members of your laboratory.  Thank you.

Regards,
IACUC Office

IACUC/2025/10

Dear PIs,  

1. APRs and ABPRs submission 

In line with NACLAR Guidelines III.3.5.1 and III.3.5.2, Annual Protocol Review (APR) and Annual Breeding Protocol Review (ABRPs) forms must be submitted annually. Reminder emails will be sent 2 months and 7 days before the due date. Please submit these forms promptly to ensure compliance.

2. Protocol Extension or New Protocol Submission?

All IACUC protocols are valid for 4 years from the date of initial approval. As your protocol approaches expiry, please take note of the following options to ensure continuity of your animal research:

Option 1: Protocol Extension for Ongoing Experiments 
(Starting with protocols that are expiring in Mar 2026 or later)

If ongoing experiments(s) under the expiring protocol can be completed within six months after expiry, you may request a protocol extension of up to six months. Such experiments do not need to be included in a new protocol.

To proceed, please submit the attached Protocol Extension Request Form to the IACUC Office at least one week before protocol expiry.

Option 2: New protocol submission for Extended Experiments*
(Starting with protocols that are expiring in Mar 2026 or later)

If experiments are expected to take more than six months to complete, a new protocol must be submitted via iRIMS-IACUC for de novo review. Please plan ahead and submit the application at least four months before expiry to allow sufficient time for review and approval.

*Note on Carrying Over Unfinished Experiments
If you need to carry over incomplete experiments into the new protocol e.g. if the experiment involves 2 groups totalling 24 animals, and only 10 animals were used under the expiring protocol, you may include the remaining 14 animals in the new protocol. Please do not duplicate the entire experiment and request for 24 animals again.

3. Guidance for Breeding Protocols

• All mating and breeding activities must cease exactly 4 years from the date of initial protocol approval.
• Desired offspring should be transferred to their respective research protocols before the breeding protocol expires.
• Breeders intended for continued use must be transferred to a breeding protocol that is current and not expired.
• For pregnant breeders expected to remain beyond expiry, please submit the attached Protocol Extension Request Form to the IACUC Office at least one week before protocol expiry.

4. Important Notes

• Ongoing animal work after protocol extension must strictly follow the approved protocol.
• If no extension request is submitted to the IACUC Office, any remaining animals under an expired protocol will be transferred to the CM holding protocol. While on the holding protocol, no breeding or experimental procedures are allowed. For further details, please refer to CM SOP 411.

Please refer to the new protocol extension workflow for more information. For assistance or clarification, feel free to contact the IACUC Office.

Thank you for your attention and continued compliance.
IACUC Office