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Animal studies are carefully regulated. The IRB oversees research involving human subjects, but for research using vertebrate animals, that oversight role belongs to a different body: the IACUC, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
Any lab conducting animal research has to get IACUC approval before a single experiment begins, and the committee reviews every proposed study against a framework known as the "3 Rs": Replacement (could a non-animal method, like a cell culture or computer model, answer this question instead?), Reduction (is the number of animals being used the minimum necessary to get statistically meaningful results?), and Refinement (are procedures designed to minimize pain, stress, or distress as much as possible?). It's the same underlying ethical goal as an IRB.
IACUC committees aren't just a rubber stamp, either. They typically include veterinarians, scientists from outside the specific research field, and even a community member unaffiliated with the institution, specifically so the review isn't just researchers approving their own work. Protocols are also re-reviewed periodically, so a lab can't expand what it's doing with animal subjects without going back through the process.
It's worth knowing that oversight isn't identical across all species, either. Regulations tend to be strictest for vertebrates like mice, rats, and primates, since those are the animals covered under most federal welfare regulations, while invertebrates like fruit flies or C. elegans (a tiny research worm) typically face lighter formal oversight, though ethical care standards still apply in any well-run lab.
In the U.S., IACUCs enforce standards set by broader federal frameworks, including the Animal Welfare Act and, for institutions receiving federal funding, the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Institutions are also subject to outside inspection and can lose funding or accreditation entirely if their animal care practices fall short, which is part of why IACUC approval isn't a quick formality. A new protocol can take weeks or months to clear review, especially if the committee has questions about pain management or the number of animals requested.
As a high school volunteer or intern, it's worth knowing you likely won't be directly handling animals or performing procedures yourself in most labs. That work is typically restricted to trained, IACUC-approved lab personnel. Don’t worry, though: there's still plenty to learn from data analysis, observation, and supporting tasks around an animal study without being the one holding the animal!
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