Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Protocol Review
  • Published:

Response to Protocol Review Scenario: Leave the research presentations to the principal investigators

Lab Animal volume 45, pages 327–328 (2016)Cite this article

IACUCs and their members must be diligent not to release any confidential information. If Great Eastern University is registered with the USDA they are then required to comply with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA)1, which specifically prohibits the release of confidential information by IACUC members (§2157; ref. 1).

In addition AWA regulations, the IACUC member's actions might also violate regulations on confidentiality to protect proprietary information. It must be decided if the animal model developed by Seligman is considered proprietary information that requires such confidentiality. One type of proprietary information is trade secrets, which include scientific and technical methods or techniques2. So, the argument could be made that the techniques developed by Seligman to induce neuroglial cells to integrate genetic information contained in a viral vector do fall under the definition of a trade secret. There is, however, a caveat to a technique being designated as a trade secret: the 'inventor' must have made reasonable efforts to keep the information confidential2. In this case, since Seligman presented his technique during a talk at Underling College, he may have difficulty making the argument that the technique deserves confidential information status.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

References

  1. Animal Welfare Act regulations. 9 CFR. Chapter I, Subchapter A, Part 2, Subpart C.

  2. Chimes, M.J. & Sankar, P. In The IACUC Handbook 3rd ed. (eds. Silverman, J. Suckow, M. & Murthy, S.) 503–534 (Taylor and Francis, Boca Rotan, 2014).

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. and Hoard is the Asst. Director of the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, Hanley is Director, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN.,

    Gregory A. Hanley &  Jennie Hoard

Authors
  1. Gregory A. Hanley
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jennie Hoard
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hanley, G., Hoard, J. Response to Protocol Review Scenario: Leave the research presentations to the principal investigators. Lab Anim 45, 327–328 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.1088

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.1088

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing