A university research team reports it has cultivated cells from umbilical cord blood that can be used to treat diabetes.

Seoul National University said the team, led by Professor Kang Kyung-sun of the school's College of Veterinary Medicine, succeeded in creating insulin-producing cells from stem cells extracted from umbilical cord blood, which is usually discarded after birth.

The university expects the insulin-producing cells to be effective in treating diabetes.

Kang's paper will appear on the Web site of the U.S. journal, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (BBRC), and will be published in its March issue.