Policy & Guidance

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Policy and Guidance for the Care and Use of Animals

The Public Health Services Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy) applies to the use of live, vertebrate animals in any activity supported by the NIH or other PHS agency. The links below illustrate this and other guidance for the care and use of animals in NIH research.

• For a basic introduction to research with animals, see the HHS/NIH pamphlet “What investigators need to know about the use of animals” (PDF - 4MB).
• To learn more about the PHS Policy, see the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare’s PHS Policy Tutorial.
• The NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) provides extensive links to official policies and guidance on the use of animals in PHS funded research, training and testing.