Cancer-causing worm could help heal chronic wounds, researchers find

Oriental liver fluke responsible for the deaths of 26,000 people a year secretes a growth factor that accelerates wound healing and blood vessel growth

Researchers have found a cancer-causing parasitic worm responsible for the deaths of about 26,000 people a year could prove useful in healing chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers.

Research by a team at James Cook University in Queensland has found the 1cm-long oriental liver fluke secretes a growth factor that accelerates wound healing and blood vessel growth in tests on mice and cell cultures.