Statement of Purpose

Continued advancement in scientific and medical knowledge requires the use of both humans and animals as research subjects. The Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS) assists investigators in fulfilling their obligation to plan and conduct experiments using human or animal subjects in accord with the highest scientific, humane, and ethical principles and in conformity with all laws, regulations, and rules governing research subjects.

OPRS facilitates the work of the institutional oversight committees - two Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) - and serves as a liaison between investigators and the federal government, interpreting the guidelines and regulations that govern research involving human or animal subjects.

The role of the IRBs is to ensure that human subjects used in any research projects are protected against undue risk and give informed consent to the research, as well as to ensure that research subjects' safety, rights, privileges, and privacy are protected. The role of the IACUC is to ensure that animal subjects are used and cared for in ways judged to be scientifically, technically, and humanely appropriate.