Korean scientists in the United States have published research papers in the internationally renowned science journal Cell.

A team led by Ha Taek-jip, a professor of physics at Illinois, reported in the August edition of the Cell that they observed the life cycle of RecA, a protein that plays a major role in repairing damaged DNA.

RecA is a DNA recombination protein linked with breast and ovarian cancer. A better understanding of how these proteins function is expected to provide a major breakthrough in our understanding of cancer.

Korean geneticist Kim Soo-youn also put her name in the journal Cell by participating in a study of the genetic origin and development of contagious cancers.

Kim, who is from Jeju Island, is taking a doctoral course at Chicago University, majoring in statistical genetics.