BTC User Guidelines

Users must comply with all regulations outlined on this page.

***Under UCLA’s Covid-19 Phase I & II research ramp-up phases, users MUST submit an approved Phase I/II operational plan that lists the BTC facility, as well as any lab members using the BTC***

  1. All users must complete our online CCLE course. BTC staff will email users a link to access the course. Users may revisit/review the course material any time here: BTC Policies- Fall 2020.
  2. All users and their PI’s must sign and submit the following form, which contains EH&S User Agreement Guidelines with current Covid-19 protocols: COVID19_Re-Opening_Guidelines-II
  3. Investigators who wish to use the BTC must have an approved protocol with the Chancellor’s Animal Research Committee (ARC) before experiments can begin.  The protocol submission is performed through the RATS online system, available via the Office of Animal Research Oversight.
    • The protocol must list all personnel who will come into contact with the subjects and/or conduct the experiments.  All personnel listed must be certified by DLAM (UCLA’s Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine) for the use and care of animals.
    • The user’s protocol application should reference the UCLA Behavioral Testing Core Animal Use Protocol (ARC # 2002-130-61 ) under the Experimental Design and Justification section. Behavioral SOPs may be inserted from the Rats2.0 system; however, any deviations from the SOPs must be described in detail.
  4. Before accessing the BTC, users must contact the head of the Franz/Pritzker Hall DLAM Vivarium to schedule a walk-through. Once this has been completed, the user may begin work in the BTC and may request after hours access to the building through the BTC (uclabtc@gmail.com)
  5. Animals can be transferred to the Core’s vivarium space only after protocol approval.  Room assignments and transportation of animals is made in coordination with the Core and with DLAM.  More information can be found here: http://www.dlam.ucla.edu.
  6. All cleaning and disinfecting protocols should be followed. Failure to properly clean any used space/equipment will result in a written warning and their lab will be charged the full service rate for a BTC staff member to clean the area. Three written warnings will result in a loss of access to BTC facilities.