ACC Guideline - 24 - Cumulative Endpoints

To prevent suffering of animals involved in multiple procedures or studies, their overall lifetime use must be considered. Cumulative endpoints, as defined by the CCAC (CCAC, 2022), are the threshold values for when individual animals have reached their lifetime maximum involvement in scientific activities and must be retired to prevent unexpected welfare impacts; they differ from scientific endpoints. Cumulative endpoints must be considered for all animals used in research or teaching. The assessment of an animal’s cumulative lifetime experience includes both measures of physical impact (e.g., invasive procedures, disease, trauma) and affective states (e.g., fear, distress, anxiety, anhedonia).