Richard Scolyer, a cancer researcher and melanoma pathologist at the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), passed away at the age of 59 after a long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.
Scolyer was born in Launceston, Tasmania in 1966. He completed his medical training at the University of Tasmania, before commencing his pathology career in Canberra. He completed his specialist training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. During this time, Scolyer gained popularity for contributing to what is now the world’s largest melanoma biobank, first established in 1998.
He served as the co-medical director of MIA with oncologist Georgina Long. Together, they were part of a team that pioneered the use of immunotherapy treatment for melanoma. Less than a decade ago, advanced melanoma was a death sentence, with patients given a grim life expectancy of just six to nine months. Their approach involved administering a combination of immunotherapy drugs before surgery, to reenergize immune cells to recognize and attack the tumor.1 The work drastically improved outcomes for patients with advanced melanoma around the world.
When Scolyer was diagnosed with grade four glioblastoma in June 2023, the pair shifted their focus to developing a world-first treatment for Scolyer’s tumor based on their breakthroughs in melanoma research. He volunteered to be the guinea pig for this experimental treatment, which involved a similar approach to their melanoma work. It was a gamble, as the treatment would delay Scolyer’s surgery and possibly even shorten his survival prognosis.
Determined, Long and her team went to work. That same year, Scolyer received a combination of immunotherapy drugs before and after surgery. Then, the team administered a personalized vaccine developed using the unique genetic markers of his cancer.2 The treatment produced promising results. In February 2024, eight months after surgery, Scolyer’s cancer had not returned. However, in early March 2025, Scolyer announced that the cancer returned. During this time, he publicly documented his journey, in hopes of raising awareness, advancing research, and supporting other patients facing similar diagnoses.
In an open letter penned by Scolyer, intended to be published when he passed away, he wrote, “I sincerely hope the scientific data and awareness I have generated will provide a platform for others to build upon to ultimately make a difference for future cancer patients.” Scolyer’s journey is one of resilience. Scolyer is survived by his wife, a fellow pathologist, and his three children.
“If my legacy was to continue beyond these words, I would be delighted and humbled to be remembered as a proud everyday Aussie who ‘gave it a crack’, and in doing so, inspired others to pursue their dreams and passions with humility, love and compassion,” concluded Scolyer in his letter.
- Menzies AM, et al. Pathological response and survival with neoadjuvant therapy in melanoma: a pooled analysis from the International Neoadjuvant Melanoma Consortium (INMC). Nat Med. 2021;27(2):301-309.
- Long GV, et al. Neoadjuvant triplet immune checkpoint blockade in newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Nat Med. 2025;31:15576-1566.
