A domestic research team claims to have developed a new therapy to destroy cancer cells through gene modification.

The Commerce Ministry said Thursday that a Yonsei University medical team found that a gene called relaxin, which is similar to insulin, can kill cancer cells.

The team, led by professor Yun Chae-ok, created new viruses by inserting the gene into adenoviruses. It found that the genetically modified adenoviruses penetrated deeper into tumors than the unmodified viruses and destroyed them without harming normal cells.

Their findings will appear in the latest edition of the American Journal of the National Cancer Institute.