Director Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research University of Queensland
Australian of the Year 2005

(Queensland)

Ian Frazer BSc (Hons)., MB ChB Edinburgh., FRCP(Ed)., MD., FRACPA. is director of the Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research, a research centre of the University of Queensland at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.

He was trained as a renal physician and clinical immunologist in Edinburgh, Scotland before emigrating in 1981 to Melbourne, Australia to continue his clinical training and to pursue studies in viral immunology and autoimmunity at the Walter and Eliza Hall institute of Medical Research with Prof Ian Mackay. In 1985 he moved north to Brisbane to take up a teaching post with the University of Queensland, and he now holds a personal chair as head of the Centre.

His current research interests include immunoregulation, and immunotherapeutic vaccines for Papillomavirus associated cancers, for which he holds research funding from several Australian and US funding bodies. Dr Frazer teaches immunology to undergraduate and graduate students of the University. He chairs the Medical and Scientific advisory committee of the Queensland Cancer Fund, and is a board member of the Cancer Council Australia. He advises the WHO and the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation on papillomavirus vaccines.

Ian Frazer developed the first papillomavirus prophylactic vaccine, the patents for which are now licensed from the University of Queensland to Merck. The vaccine is in late phase clinical trials, with predicted US $1 billion per annum sales. He is developing with CSL a papillomavirus therapeutic vaccine based on jointly held IP, which is in early phase clinical trials. He holds issued patents in the field of optimising gene expression, currently undergoing commercial development through Uniquest, the University of Queensland’s commercialisation arm. He consults or has consulted for Uniquest, CSL, Merck, and 3M Pharmaceuticals in the fields of vaccines and immunotherapy.

Ian Frazer has held continuous research funding from the NHMRC since 1985, mostly relating to papillomaviruses or to tumour immunology. He also holds, or has held within the last 5 years, competitive research grants from the Queensland Cancer Fund, the Cancer Research Institute of New York, and the NIH.

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