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Scientists to test Zika virus on brain tumours

Scientists at the University of Cambridge are to test whether the Zika virus can be used to destroy brain tumours.

It's being funded by Cancer Research UK and could potentially lead to new treatments for glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain tumour.

Each year around 2,300 people are diagnosed with glioblastoma in England.

We hope to show that the Zika virus can slow down brain tumour growth in tests in the lab. If we can learn lessons from Zika's ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and target brain stem cells selectively, we could be holding the key to future treatments.

– Dr Harry Bulstrode, a Cancer Research UK scientist at the University of Cambridge