Researchers in the USA have discovered a way to activate the Epstein-Barr virus inside tumours, providing hope that such viruses can be manipulated to destroy the tumours that they inhabit.

The Epstein-Barr virus is associated with the development of at least four different types of lymphoma, as well as a number of other cancers.

In tests carried out on mice with Burkitt's lymphoma, Dr Martin Pomper, from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland, and his team found that a drug called bortezomib was able to "turn on" the dormant Epstein-Barr virus inside the tumours.

By using a radioactive chemical called FIAU that is attracted to the active virus, the researchers were then able to distinguish between tumours that contained the Epstein-Barr virus and those that did not.

The team says that potentially, tumours containing the Epstein-Barr virus could be destroyed by using drugs that encourage the virus to reproduce to such an extent that it "bursts" the cancer.

Furthermore, FIAU could be used to deliver high doses of radioactivity to tumours containing the Epstein-Barr virus, thereby destroying the cancer cells with limited damage to surrounding tissue.

However, Dr Pomper and his team say that further research is needed to confirm their findings.

The research is published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

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