A cancer scientist is making her dramatic debut in Oxford after writing a play in response to a friend's battle against the disease.

Dr Lizzie Burns, 26, has written Autodestruct: the Ultimate Cure for Cancer as a curtain raiser for National Science Week.

It will be premiered in Oxford next week at the Burton Taylor Theatre, in Gloucester Street.

Debut: Lizzie BurnsFunded by the Cancer Research Campaign for her work at Oxford University's biochemistry department, Dr Burns, of Iffley Road, knows enough to write a script centring around the disease.

But it was the shock of watching her 20-year-old friend become ill with Hodgkin's Disease which spurred her creative talents.

She said: "It was a terrible shock to see this happening to someone so young. My friend thought she was going to die and this had a profound effect on her. She had a new appreciation of how special life is.

"The play was also prompted by my undergraduate work in the lab."

The play runs from Tuesday to Saturday next week, and the proceeds will be shared by the Cancer Research Campaign and Marie Curie Cancer Care.

It is being funded by the Committee for the Public Understanding of Science, which is supporting events throughout National Science Week.