Professor Richard Scolyer AO will be remembered as one of Australia's greatest clinician-scientists. Named Australian of the Year in 2024, he was recognised not only for transforming melanoma care through groundbreaking research, but also for his generosity, humility and unwavering commitment to improving the lives of others. Even after his diagnosis with grade 4 glioblastoma, he remained dedicated to advancing medical knowledge and creating hope for future patients. His passing is a profound loss to medicine, but his legacy will continue to shape generations of clinicians, researchers and patients around the world.
Professor Scolyer's greatest lesson wasn't that he had all the answers – it was that he never stopped asking questions. Throughout his career, he challenged accepted thinking, embraced collaboration and remained open to unexpected discoveries, even when they contradicted long-held assumptions.
It was this curiosity that helped transform advanced melanoma from what was once considered a fatal diagnosis into a disease where long-term remission is now possible for many patients.1
An unexpected discovery changed the future of cancer care
For decades, researchers believed that the brain’s protective blood-brain barrier would prevent large immunotherapy molecules from reaching aggressive brain tumours. Analysis of tumour tissue following Professor Scolyer’s experimental neoadjuvant immunotherapy treatment challenged that long-held assumption.2
Researchers found that the immunotherapy had not only crossed the blood-brain barrier but also triggered a powerful immune response within the tumour, thereby opening new avenues for treating glioblastoma.2
This breakthrough was more than a remarkable scientific finding – it reflected Professor Scolyer’s approach to medicine. He believed progress comes from curiosity, collaboration and being prepared to rethink accepted ideas.
His legacy reminds us that every medical breakthrough begins with a question, a willingness to follow the evidence wherever it leads and the courage to embrace the unexpected.
If you’d like to honour Professor Scolyer’s legacy, you can contribute to the Richard Scolyer Pathology Fellowship, which was established by Melanoma Institute Australia and aims to carry forward his extraordinary commitment to the next generation of melanoma pathologists.
References
Blank CU, Lucas MW, Scolyer RA, et al. Neoadjuvant Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Resectable Stage III Melanoma. N Engl J Med 2024; 391:1696-1708.
Long GV et al. Neoadjuvant triplet immune checkpoint blockade in newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Nature Medicine 2025;31:1557-1566.
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