The researchers at the University of Ulster are examining the possibility that peptides taken from the skin of a South American frog could be used to treat Type 2 diabetes.

Work with the skin of the Paradoxical frog has found it has insulin releasing capabilities that could be exploited.

According to the research, announced today at Diabetes UK's Annual Professional Conference in Glasgow, the research could be of benefit to the thousands of people in Northern Ireland who have Type 2 diabetes.

There are currently more than 60,000 people diagnosed with diabetes in the province, with more than 200 new cases of Type 1 and Type 2 diagnosed every month. And that number is set to rise drastically in coming years.

Scientists from the University of Ulster and United Arab Emirates University have been studying Pseudin-2, a peptide which protects the frog from infection.

They have tested a synthetic version of the peptide and found it could be used to produce a drug that stimulates the production of insulin in people with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly.

Type 2 diabetes develops because the body does not produce enough insulin, or when the insulin produced does not work properly. Insulin is a vital hormone produced by the pancreas that helps glucose enter the cells where it is used as body fuel.

Treatment for people with diabetes aims to regulate blood glucose levels so that they are as near as possible to those of a person without the condition.

Dr Yasser Abdel-Wahab, senior lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Ulster, said the research was at an "exciting stage" .

"We have tested a more potent synthetic version of the Pseudin-2 peptide and have found that it has the potential for development into a compound for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes," he said.

"Now we need to take this a step further and put our work into practice to try and help people with Type 2 diabetes.

"More research is needed, but there is a growing body of work around natural anti-diabetic drug discovery that, as you can see, is already yielding fascinating results. "

Iain Foster, national director of Diabetes UK Northern Ireland, said the research could be of benefit to some two million people in the UK with Type 2 diabetes.

"Although it can be managed with diet and physical activity, Type 2 diabetes is progressive and may require tablets and/or insulin to control it effectively," he confirmed.

"Good diabetes control reduces the risk of complications including blindness, heart disease, kidney problems and amputation so new treatments are vital."

The Paradoxical frog is named accordingly because it shrinks with age.

As tadpoles they can reach up to 27cm in length, however as frogs they are only about 4cm long.

They inhabit ponds, lakes and lagoons in Trinidad and Amazon.

In 2003, scientists at the University of Ulster found that venom from poisonous frogs from rainforests in Africa and South America could be developed into a whole new powerful generation of antibiotics.