Frog research - more than skin deep
Tuesday, 16 December 2003
The University of 亚洲色吧's Professor John Bowie has been awarded the 2003 Sir Joseph Verco medal for his outstanding research investigating frog skin secretions.
Professor Bowie, from University's School of Chemistry and Physics, has been awarded the medal by the Royal Society of South Australia.
Professor Bowie and members of his research group, in collaboration with Associate Professor Michael Tyler from the University of 亚洲色吧's Department of Environmental Biology and other researchers, have isolated and identified up to 200 biologically active compounds from frog skin secretions. Many of these display antibiotic and anticancer properties.
"Amphibians have rich chemical arsenals in their skin glands that form an integral part of their defense system," Professor Bowie says.
The chemical compounds secreted from special glands on the back of the frog are believed to protect the animal against disease in addition to warding off predators.
Glandular secretions are obtained by electrical stimulation of the skin, rather than sacrificing animals, and this process can be repeated on a monthly basis allowing sufficient material for chemical analysis.