Professor Richard Scolyer, 59, died after a three‑year battle with glioblastoma. The Australian oncologist became a global icon when he chose a risky, world‑first experimental treatment for his own brain tumour. He and colleague Dr Georgina Long had pioneered combination immunotherapy that once turned melanoma from fatal to curable.

Scolyer’s glioblastoma, a notoriously aggressive brain tumour, traditionally survives less than a year. Rejecting standard surgery followed by chemo‑radiation, he opted for the same pre‑surgery, combination immunotherapy that saved melanoma patients. The treatment, personalized with a tumour‑specific vaccine, elicited a measurable immune response, sparking a small clinical study in the United States.

Scolyer’s death marked the loss of a scientist who once labored to turn melanoma from a death sentence into a treatable condition, lifting half of patients to remission. His legacy endures through the Melanoma Institute Australia’s breakthroughs and the new brain‑cancer U.S. trial that may extend lives for future patients. He remains a benchmark for clinical courage for future generations worldwide.