Scientists at Chinese University on Thursday said they had developed a new drug that had the potential to cause nasopharyngeal cancer cells to destroy themselves.

The drug uses mRNA bio-technology, which acts like a code to activate the death cycle of cancer cells.

The scientists carried out tests on mice and said the results were very promising. They described the drug as a "smart bomb" because it not only targets cancer cells, but also attracts immune cells to help eliminate them.

Professor Anne Tsang, one of the researchers, said this new drug is better than current treatments because it could minimise damage to healthy cells.

"All the traditional treatments are mostly systemic. They are chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and so they affect not only the cancer cells, but also the other normal cells," she said.

"For our drug, this drug mechanism will only target the cancer cells that are infected by the Epstein-Barr virus. So the normal cells will be safe...and so our human body will feel [many fewer] side effects, and so the patients can have a much better quality of life."

Nasopharyngeal cancer is a type of cancer that affects the throat, specifically the part that connects the back of the nose to the back of the mouth. It is often called "Canton cancer" because it is more common in southern China.