Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced a groundbreaking technological discovery on Feb. 5 that could majorly change the field of cancer cell therapy. According to KAIST News, head of the research team Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho believes this technology has revealed a window into the specific genetic processes that make cancer cells transform and reproduce, an idea that has little research to date.

The researchers first focused on capturing the cells in their critical transition period, the moment the cells turn into cancer cells, and figuring out how to switch the cells back to their original, non-cancerous form right before they are transformed irreversibly.

The treatment, informally referred to as an “undo button,” relies on a molecular switch technology to revert the cancer cells back into their original state, essentially stopping the cancerous transition during the critical period. After testing this phenomenon on colon and animal cells, the research team concluded that the cancer cells displayed characteristics of their original state.

Not only could this method reduce the grueling side effects of cancer and its treatments, but it could also reduce the likelihood of recurrence. Current forms of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy rely mostly on killing the cancer cells so that they do not spread. The KAIST team’s method however, switches the cancer cells back, reducing the potential resurfacing of the tumor.

While it is unclear the future global availability and price of the treatment, its simple discovery signals promise in the medical technology world that could lead toward safer and more effective cancer treatment.