Czech scientists have discovered in cooperation with their Italian colleagues the new method of cell preservation that allows to revive the cells whenever it is necessary, the daily Mlada fronta Dnes said on Friday.

The researchers from Prague and Sardinia are the first in the world to have managed to discover the frost drying method of cells which can be revived later. They have used the method in the cloning of sheep embryos, the daily said.

The discovery enables to establish a databank of dried cells of endangered animal species that could serve for their cloning in the future, the paper said, adding that the discovery can help save endangered animals and even the recently extinct species of animals.

"We are bringing hope for the saving of endangered species of animals," says Josef Fulka, from the Czech Academy of Sciences Research Institute of Animal Production, who was a member of the research team.

"So far sperm has been the only cell with core that scientists managed to preserve in a dehydrated state," Fulka said.

According to Eva Sykova, director of the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM), the discovery could in the future also help revive the body organs attacked by cancer, the report said.

The new method will allow for cells to be preserved for an indefinite period of time, according to the paper.