INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Neuroblastoma is one of the deadliest childhood cancers.

It typically develops in the abdomen, kidneys, adrenal glands and along the spinal cord.

It’s rare, with only 800 cases diagnosed each year, but it causes 15% of all childhood cancer deaths.

Now, a team of doctors in Florida could be at the forefront of a new lifesaving treatment.

Mosquitos not only are they annoying, but they can also be deadly!

The Zika Virus is typically spread through mosquito bites. Now, a team of researchers at Nemours Children’s in Orlando is using this same virus to wipe out neuroblastoma.

“It’s a smart missile. It was targeting certain cells and only those,” said Dr. Joseph Mazar at the Nemours Children’s Hospital.

“We know that Zika is working in neuroblastoma because neuroblastoma expresses a protein on its cell surface. It’s called CD24,” said Dr. Tamarah Westmoreland at the Nemours Children’s Hospital.

For the study, researchers grew the tumors on the back of mice. After a single injection of the Zika Virus, researchers saw a total elimination of the cancer within 10 days. But for the mice who received an injection of saline, the tumors grew by as much as 800%!

“You have human tumors that are being eliminated rapidly, efficiently, no recurrence and no side effects. I don’t know how to beat that,” said Mazar.

The Zika Virus treatment for cancers will only work in children, as the CD24 protein is only found in developing kids.

Neuroblastoma typically occurs in children under the age of five, and more than half don’t respond to chemo or radiation.

The team will continue more studies to see if the treatment is safe and then hopefully move on to human clinical trials.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.