2006

Merck Sharp & Dohme Florey Medal winner 

Professor Ian Frazer

Director of the Diamantina Institute for Immunology and Cancer Research at the University of Queensland

Professor Ian Frazer was awarded the 2006 Florey Medal for his work in developing vaccines for Human Papillomaviruses including cervical cancer and genital warts.

Professor Ian Frazer was born in Scotland and gained degrees in Science and Medicine at Edinburgh University. Australia was fortunate that he chose to come to Melbourne in 1981, moving to Queensland in 1985, becoming an Australian citizen, and pioneering research on the link between papilloma viruses and cancer. He founded and leads the University of Queensland's Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research which has recently become the Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine, based at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane.

Together with his postdoctoral research fellow, the late Dr Jian Zhou, Professor Frazer defined in 1991 a method for production of virus-like particles for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) using eukaryotic expression vectors. The HPV-like particle technology is now the basis of vaccines commercially available to prevent infection with four papillomaviruses, together responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer and 90% of genital warts.

HPV infections cause over half a million deaths annually around the world from cancers of the cervix and related organs and this research will not only have significant impact world-wide in reducing the burden of cancer but will also act as a model for translational research.

Professor Frazer was named Australian of the Year in 2006 for contributing to public awareness of innovation, medical research and treatment for cervical cancer.

Since winning this Award:

Professor Frazer received the 2008 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science and was appointed Chair of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation's Medical Research Advisory Committee for 2009.

Award ceremony

The award ceremony for the 2006 Merck Sharp & Dohme Florey Medal was held on 6 March 2007 at the University of New South Wales' Scientia building.

Selection Committee

The 2006 Florey Medal Selection Committee comprised:

Professor Fred Mendelsohn
Professor Rick McLean
Professor Aileen Plant
Dr Fiona Wood
Dr Graham McDonald
Mr Robyn Williams
Professor Peter Rathjen
Professor Judith Whitworth
Professor John Chalmers
Professor Frank Fenner