A leap ahead for frog research

Researchers from the University of Newcastle have successfully developed a cryopreservation technique to freeze frog embryonic cells. This important step will now allow for cloning and could slow the threat of extinction to hundreds of frog species.

“Almost 200 frog species have been lost in the past 30 years due to disease and a further 200 species face imminent threat - this is the worst rate of extinction of any vertebrate group,” said project leader Professor Michael Mahony.

The researchers have separated, isolated and frozen the embryonic cells of an Australian Ground Frog - the Striped Marsh Frog, Limnodynastes peronii.

This is the first time slow-freezing techniques have been used successfully on amphibian cells.

“Amphibian eggs and early embryos, unlike human eggs and embryos, are large in size and have traditionally presented a challenge to researchers attempting to cryopreserve and store frog genomes, as they would shatter during the freezing process,” said Mahony.

Professor Mahony said the development would have wider implications for other species facing extinction.

“Not only will it help us preserve the genetic diversity of frogs, but this discovery could also help in the conservation of other species with large embryonic cells, such as fish.”

The University of Newcastle is a world leader on research into amphibian protection. This latest discovery follows on from recent work with other universities on the Lazarus project, which generated live embryos using cells from an extinct Australian frog.