It may sound like the opening to a zombie apocalypse film, but scientists have turned to anthrax as a potential ally in the fight against bladder cancer.

Writing in the International Journal of Cancer, US researchers describe a potential new treatment that combines the anthrax toxin with the growth hormone, epidermal growth factor (EGF).

The EGF-anthrax mix is specifically designed to target cancer cells, which are exposed in the bladder lumen and overexpress the EGF receptor.

The highly targeted approach, which involves instilling the toxin into the bladder, forces the cancer cells to absorb it and subsequently trigger cell death.