The team from A*Star's Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) have developed a special antibody which only destroys undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells within 30 minutes.

The research team's findings on the monoclonal antibody, mAb 84, were published online on March 20 in the journal Stem Cells, said a statement from BTI on Monday.

'Some people find it strange why we want to develop antibodies to kill off stem cells,' said BTI Senior Scientist Dr Andre Choo.

But he said that people fail to realise that stem cells can also cause cancerous growths and that the new antibody mAb 84 can reduce this risk.

'This will help address safety concerns when clinical approval for stem cell therapies is required in the future,' added Dr Choo.

Stem cells are well known for their ability to differentiate into virtually any type of cell, given the correct growth signals.

However, stem cells that fail to differentiate can form cancerous growths and studies have shown that even as little as two undifferentiated stem cells can cause such growths.

Professor Miranda Yap, Executive Director of BTI said of the team's finding: 'It is a significant step for preclinical stem cell therapy applications. We are actively seeking collaboration with other stem cell researchers to further explore possible applications and exploit the therapeutic potential behind it.'

The team is already working to find out the process behind the stem cell killing and looking into ways of using the new antibody in treatments.