Foam discovered in frog nests has been found to have the potential to improve topical, vaginal and rectal drug delivery. This is the first time that a team from Queen's University Belfast and the University of Strathclyde has attempted this. To decrease infection and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), organic foam has a controlled-release delivery system.

Dr Dimitrios Lamprou of Queen's University Belfast's School of Pharmacy explained the process, saying, "In testing the foam in our labs, we analysed the properties of the foam and were impressed that not only was it strong and durable, but when we administered drugs, they were released over a long period of time. This controlled release and stable compounds have huge implications for drug delivery.”

“One practical example could be with burn treatment whereby the foam would enable the drugs to be delivered under the bandage over a longer period, without needing to remove the bandages frequently, which would reduce the chance of infection.”

The researchers gathered foam from wild túngara frogs, which shields this species from the environment in its home Trinidad, including severe temperatures and hazardous bacteria, according to the announcement. The researchers hypothesised that because the foam provided protection in these harsh temperatures, it could provide a more permanent mechanism for medication administration. They conducted laboratory procedures to evaluate its structure and content.

It was noted in a statement made by Queen's University that industrial foams have been used for cosmetics and medications for a long time to distribute these products. Foamability and long-term stability of synthetic foams, on the other hand, has high variable properties.

Professor Paul Hoskisson, University of Strathclyde and Researcher on the study, stated that this is the first time an amphibian foam has been used for drug delivery, saying, "It should give us a nice, safe delivery vehicle that can be administered to patients without any fear of making them sick, unlike many of the other synthetic delivery vehicles. We are now looking at reproducing the exact foam as well as more focus on analysing more drugs to see which drugs lend themselves better to this type of drug delivery.”

According to the statement, the next step of the research will focus on the capacity to expand the reproduction of the precise foam qualities in laboratory setting.