A local research team says it's developed a technology to cultivate large quantities of dopamine nerve cells.

Led by Yonsei University Professor Kim Dong-wook, the team said the technology enables the mass production of dopamine nerve cells with a high level of purity.

The team cited the new technology's possible use in treating Parkinson's disease, a condition caused when large numbers of dopamine nerve cells are damaged.

Researchers injected dopamine nerve cells they had cultivated into 26 mice with Parkinson’s disease and found that disease symptoms improved considerably.

The team expects the technology to greatly help in the development of drugs for Parkinson’s disease. The team's findings were published in the journal of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.