Korean scientists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, or KAIST, say they have found a protein effective in fighting cancer.

A research team led professor Chung Jong-kyung says it has identified anti-cancer properties in the protein AMPK, AMP-activated protein kinase, for the first time in the world.

AMPK has been known to be useful for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity.

As a result of the finding, the development of new anti-cancer medications using the protein is expected to gain steam, while already existing AMPK-based diabetes drugs can be used in cancer treatments.

The research results were published in the online edition of science magazine Nature. A patent is pending in the United States.