Frog spotter

A biological scientist from the Portsmouth University has received a grant to research the use of computer imaging technologies for identifying individual frogs used in research.

The award was announced by the Secretary of State for Science and Innovation, Ian Pearson, at a press conference in London as part of a package of funding worth £2.4m from the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).

Dr Matt Guille, head of the School of Biological Sciences, working with Prof Elizabeth Jones at the Warwick University and software engineers Solcom, will pioneer a new method of identifying individual frogs using digital imaging which measures the patterns of the frogs’ backs and feet.

'Thousands of frogs are kept in laboratories throughout the UK, mainly they are used to produce eggs and embryos to study development. In order to meet their welfare requirements it is necessary for frogs to be kept in large groups so they feel protected and feed normally,' said said Dr Guille.