Viet Nam's programme on research in cloning technology in the 2006-2020 period will focus on applying the technology to preserve species under the risk of extinction.

The Institute of Biotechnology announced the programme at the third Asian conference on reproductive biotechnology which closed in Ha Noi on Dec. 1.

The programme also aims to produce stem cells to replace transplanted tissue so as to prevent rejection in transplant patients, according to Dr. Bui Xuan Nguyen from the institute.

He said Vietnamese scientists have successfully created embryos of mice, buffaloes, cows, bears, pigs, and monkeys by using the cloning technology.

The third Asian conference on reproductive biotechnology was held by the Institute of Biotechnology in collaboration with the Asian Reproductive Biotechnology Society. It was attended by nearly 70 scientists from Viet Nam, India, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, and several experts on stem cell research from Europe and America.