Professor Richard Scolyer, the acclaimed melanoma researcher and 2024 Australian of the Year, has died at the age of 59 after undergoing an experimental treatment for his own aggressive brain cancer. Diagnosed with a grade-four IDH-wildtype glioblastoma in May 2023, Scolyer became patient zero in a risky immunotherapy trial devised with his colleague Professor Georgina Long.
Applying lessons from melanoma immunotherapy, the pair aimed to slow or cure Scolyer's tumour. Initial treatment combined three immunotherapy drugs before surgery, followed by a personalised vaccine. Post-operative pathology showed a tenfold increase in activated immune cells. His case was published in Nature Medicine in early 2025.
Scolyer described the decision as 'a no-brainer', saying: 'Here was an opportunity for us to crack another incurable cancer and make a difference, if not for me then for others.' He shared his journey publicly on social media, inspiring thousands of followers.
Born in Launceston, Tasmania, on 16 December 1966, Scolyer studied medicine at the University of Tasmania and became a clinical professor at 39. He was an avid athlete and credited his mother's health struggles with motivating his medical career.
