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Staging an Invasion
25 August 2012

Staging an Invasion

Cancer is usually caused by faults in a cell’s DNA, making it grow out of control. But certain cancers start when viruses hijack cells, subverting their normal behaviour. One example is Burkitt’s lymphoma – an aggressive cancer of the immune system caused by a virus called EBV. The disease is becoming more common, particularly in parts of Africa, but it’s still a mystery exactly how EBV causes it. Scientists are growing virus-infected lymphoma cells in fertilised chicken eggs to see how EBV helps cancer cells to reprogramme the healthy tissue around them, creating fertile ground for the tumour to spread. Clumps of lymphoma cells (coloured green) invade into the placenta-like membrane inside the egg (blue), sparking growth of new blood vessels (pink) to feed the expanding tumours. The scientists hope their egg-based system will help them to finally crack the secrets of this dangerous disease.

Written by Kat Arney

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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