What are the major roles of the Institutional Official (IO) in IACUC governance?

• A. To supervise daily cage cleaning across all facilities.
• B. To ensure the institution's compliance with federal regulations, support the IACUC, and address compliance findings.
• C. To approve every protocol personally.
• D. To manage grant funds.

Answer: (B)

The main concept is governance and accountability for animal welfare compliance. The Institutional Official is responsible for ensuring the institution adheres to federal regulations and policies governing animal care and use, providing the IACUC with the support and resources it needs to operate, and addressing any compliance findings that arise. This means overseeing that the institution follows laws like the Animal Welfare Act and Public Health Service policy, backing the IACUC in its reviews and oversight, and taking appropriate corrective actions or reporting to regulators when problems are found. The IO does not handle routine tasks like cage-cleaning or grant budgeting, and they do not personally approve every protocol; those duties belong to the IACUC review process and the investigators, respectively.