Reproducibility and Rigor in Animal-Based Research.

Increasing focus on issues of research reproducibility affords us the opportunity to review some of the key issues related in vivo research. First, we set out some key definitions, to guide the reader through the rest of the paper. Next we consider issues of epistemology, of how animal experiments lead to changes in our understanding of biomedicine and, potentially, to the development of new therapeutics.

Everything You Need to Know About Satisfying IACUC Protocol Requirements.

There have been recent efforts to reduce the administrative burden imposed on investigators. Although a complete and thorough review of proposed animal studies is an essential function of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), efforts to streamline and clarify this process may help investigators spend less time writing animal use protocols and responding to committee comments. The IACUC relies on well-written protocols for an efficient review process.

Contribution of the Breadth and Depth of IACUC Membership to Experimental Design as a Factor in Research Reproducibility.

The IACUC comprises the key component of animal research oversight at any institution or facility and thus has the responsibility to review and approve proposed animal activities. As the primary oversight unit that ensures the quality of animal welfare and therefore contributes to overall research quality, the IACUC can support reproducibility in research by ensuring rigorous experimental design, standardization of care and management, and assessment of the validity of research. An IACUC that is constituted as required by the Animal Welfare Act and the PHS Policy incorporates a wide range of expertise.

Mammalian BTBD12 (SLX4) protects against genomic instability during mammalian spermatogenesis.

The mammalian ortholog of yeast Slx4, BTBD12, is an ATM substrate that functions as a scaffold for various DNA repair activities. Mutations of human BTBD12 have been reported in a new sub-type of Fanconi anemia patients. Recent studies have implicated the fly and worm orthologs, MUS312 and HIM-18, in the regulation of meiotic crossovers arising from double-strand break (DSB) initiating events and also in genome stability prior to meiosis.