Nationals Senator, Barnaby Joyce, welcomed today the break through by Professor Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and Professor James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin which has allowed the re-engineering of an adult skin cell to act and behave like an embryonic stem cell, so as to allow research without the destruction of new human life.

Senator Joyce said "Once more the greatest breakthroughs in stem cell technology have come from adult stem cells. In fact, the only breakthroughs have come from adult stem cells. Investing in this section of research gives the best possibility of return in cures for so many of the diseases and ailments that are noted as possibilities from stem cell therapy.

"Now reliance upon stem cells which reflect an embryonic stem cell nature can be achieved by using an adult stem cell from the patient's own body. This appears to be a win all round for everybody.

"This should now give medical research the chance to move away from what is definitely now an unnecessary destruction of human life with all the philosophical questions that such an action carries."