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Ian Frazer

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For other people named Ian Frazer, seeIan Frazer (disambiguation).

Ian Hector Frazer
ACFRCPEFRCPAFAAFTSE
Born(1953-01-06)6 January 1953(age 71)
Glasgow,Scotland
NationalityAustralian, British
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh
(BSc), (M.B.B.S.);
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research;
University of Melbourne(M.D.)
Known forHPV vaccine creation
AwardsAustralian of the Year(2006),
Prime Minister's Prize for Science(2008),
Australian Living Treasure(2012),
Companion of the Order of Australia(2012)
Scientific career
FieldsImmunology
InstitutionsTranslational Research Institute,University of Queensland

Ian Hector FrazerAC(born 6 January 1953) is a Scottish-born Australian immunologist, the foundingCEOandDirector of Researchof theTranslational Research Institute (Australia).[1]Frazer andJian Zhoudeveloped and patented the basic technology behind theHPV vaccineagainstcervical cancerat theUniversity of Queensland.Researchers at theNational Cancer Institute,Georgetown University,andUniversity of Rochesteralso contributed to the further development of the cervical cancer vaccine in parallel.[2][3]

Education[edit]

Frazer was born inGlasgow,Scotland. His parents were medical scientists,[4]and he was drawn to science from a young age.[5]

Frazer attended Aberdeen private schoolRobert Gordon's College.[4]He chose to pursuemedicineover an earlier interest inphysicsdue to physics having fewer research opportunities,[6]and he received hisBachelor of ScienceandBachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery,at theUniversity of Edinburghin 1974 and 1977 respectively. It was during this time that he met his wife Caroline, whom he married in 1976. His 1978–79residencywas in theEdinburgh Eastern General Hospital,theEdinburgh Royal Infirmaryand theRoodlands General HospitalinHaddington.

In 1980/81 FrazerimmigratedtoMelbourneafter he was headhunted by Dr. Ian Mackay at theWalter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research[7]to research viralimmunology.In 1981 he discovered that theimmunodeficiencyafflicting homosexuals in San Francisco was also found in the gay men in hishepatitis Bstudy, and in 1984 helped to confirm thatHIV was a cause.[8]It was also found that anothersexually transmitted viruswas having a surprising effect: thehuman papilloma virus (HPV)infection seemed to be inducingprecancerous cells.[9]

In 1985 he moved to the University of Queensland as aSenior Lecturer,with the opportunity to establish his ownresearch laboratory.It was here in theLionsHuman Immunology Laboratories he continued to research HPV in men, and contributed toHIVresearch.[10]During this time Frazer also taught at the university and randiagnostic testsfor thePrincess Alexandra Hospitaland[4]received hisDoctor of Medicinequalification in 1988.[11]

Breakthrough[edit]

On a 1989sabbaticalhe metvirologistJian Zhou,and the two considered the problem of developing a vaccine for HPV – a virus that cannot beculturedwithout living tissue.[12]Frazer convinced Zhou to join him, and in 1990 they began to usemolecular biologyto synthesize particlesin vitrothat could mimic the virus. In March 1991 Zhou's wife and fellow researcher,Xiao-Yi Sun,[8]assembled by Zhou's instructions[13]twoproteinsinto avirus-like particle (VLP),[14]resembling the HPV shell, from whichHPV vaccinewould ultimately be made.[5]The vaccine completely protectsunexposedwomen against four HPV strainsresponsible for70% ofcervicalcancers,[15][16]which killabout 250,000 women annually.[17][18]Frazer and Zhou filed aprovisional patentin June 1991 and began work on developing the vaccine within UQ. To finance clinical trials, Australian medical companyCSL,and laterMerck,were sold partial patents.[19](CSL has the exclusive license to sell Gardasil in New Zealand and Australia, Merck the license elsewhere.)[20]GlaxoSmithKlineindependently used the same VLP-approach to developCervarix,under a later US patent, licensing Frazer'sintellectual propertyin 2005.[21]

Later in 1991 the research was presented at a US scientific meeting, and Frazer became Director of the Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research at the University of Queensland (later renamedThe Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine,where he held a personal chair as director). After three years in design,Gardasilwent into testing, and Frazer became aprofessorin the university's Department of Medicine. In 1998 Frazer completed the firsthuman trialsfor Gardasil, and became anAustralian citizen.[4][14]

Pioneer Patent for VLPs and the HPV vaccine[edit]

US. 7,476,389, titled"Papilloma Virus Vaccines",was granted to co-inventors Ian Frazer and Jian Zhou (posthumously) on 13 January 2009. Its U.S. application was filed on 19 January 1994, but claimed priority under a 20 July 1992 PCT filing to the date of an initial [AU] Australian patent application filed on 19 July 1991.

Celebrity[edit]

In 2006 results from the four-yearPhase III trialsled to Australian andUSregulatory approval.[14]Frazer's studies showed 100% efficacious protective immunity in HPV naïve women, but could not directly test protective immunity (against HPV exposure) in adolescent girls. As a surrogate test,antibody titerlevels in vaccinated 9 to 15-year-old girls was shown high enough to give them the same level of immunity as vaccinated women.[22]It has been suggested that one way to bring cheaper equivalent vaccines to market is to mandate a similarinduced immune response.[23]

Frazer administered the first official HPV-vaccination,[24]and was made 2006Queenslander of the YearandAustralian of the Year.[25][26]

In the 2007 resolution of theirUS patent lawsuit,Frazer's and Jian Zhou's heirs (Zhou, who died in 1999, was survived by his widow Xiao-Yi Sun and a son Andreas) world-wide rights to the fundamental VLP science, and Frazer's and Zhou's priority to invention of that fundamental VLP science, were both established.[6][21]

After 2009 reports of adverse Gardasil reactions, Frazer said "Apart from a very, very rare instance where you get anallergic reactionfrom the vaccine, which is about one in a million, there is nothing else that can be directly attributable to the vaccine. "[27]Ian Frazer is one of the "most trusted" Australians, and some critics have accused Gardasil's advocates of exploitingpatriotism[28]to promote its rapid Australian release.[29](Australia's governmenthad the world's most generous coverage for the drug, though it is the nation with the lowest cervical cancer mortality.)[20]

Personal[edit]

Ian Frazer lives inBrisbane, Australiawith his wife Caroline. As of 2010, two of his sons are medical students and the third is aveterinary scientist.[30]

Awards and honours[edit]

In 1999 Frazer received theAustralian Biotechnology Award,and has since received more than twenty awards for science: [30]

In 2012 Frazer was named as aNational Living Treasureby theNational Trust of Australia(NSW).[39]

On 11 June 2012, Frazer was named aCompanion of the Order of Australia(AC) for "eminent service to medical research, particularly through leadership roles in the discovery of the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine and its role in preventing cervical cancer, to higher education and as a supporter of charitable organisations."[40]

Current work[edit]

Herpes[edit]

In February 2014, it was announced that Frazer's new vaccine againstgenital herpeshas passed human safety trials in a trial of 20 Australians. The vaccine is designed to prevent new infections.[41]

Research[edit]

From February 2011 to February 2015, Frazer was the CEO and Director of Research at theTranslational Research Institute,a joint initiative ofThe University of Queensland,Queensland University of Technology,theMater Medical Research Instituteand the Princess Alexandra Hospital.[42]He is researchingimmunoregulationand immunotherapeutic vaccines, supported by several US and Australianresearch fundingbodies.[43]He is working on a VLP-based vaccine againsthepatitis C,and is researching extensions to the VLP production technology fordengue feverandJapanese encephalitisvaccines. Frazer expects (50% effective)HIV vaccinesto be available by 2028.[44]He is already overseeing trials of the first vaccine forskin cancer(theSquamous cancer,[45]caused by HPV) which might be ready before 2020.[46]

Frazer is the inaugural holder of theQueensland GovernmentSmart State premier's fellowship, worth $2.5 million over 5 years. He has held continuous research funding from theNational Health and Medical Research Council(NHMRC) since 1985, mostly relating to papilloma viruses ortumor immunology.He is currently a joint Chief Investigator on anNHMRC program grantand a NHMRC/Wellcomeprogram grant, together worth more than $2 million a year.

Teaching and industry[edit]

He teaches immunology to undergraduates andgraduate studentsat the University of Queensland, isCancer Council Australiapresident,[47]Chairman of theACRF's Medical Research Advisory Committee, and advises theWHOand theGates Foundationon papillomavirusvaccines.

Frazer consults for manypharmaceutical companiesonImmunomodulatory drugs,prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. He sits on the board of three for-profit small biotech companies and a number ofnot for profitorganisations.

Fellowships[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"TRI Executive".Translational Research Institute.Archived fromthe originalon 9 April 2013.Retrieved8 January2013.
  2. ^McNeil C (April 2006)."Who invented the VLP cervical cancer vaccines?".Journal of the National Cancer Institute.98(7): 433.doi:10.1093/jnci/djj144.PMID16595773.
  3. ^King, Madonna (2013). Ian Frazer: The man who saved a million lives. Brisbane: University of Queensland Press.ISBN9780702249570.
  4. ^abcd Thompson, Peter."Professor Ian Frazer".Talking Heads.abc.net.au.Retrieved29 May2010.
  5. ^abBelinda Gibbon (program producer) (15 March 2007)."Meeting Ian Frazer".Catalyst.ABC.Retrieved29 May2010.
  6. ^abWilliams, Robyn (2008)."Professor Ian Frazer".Interviews with Australian scientists.Australian Academy of Science.Archived fromthe originalon 5 March 2011.
  7. ^ab"Ian Frazer".Ri Aus. Archived fromthe originalon 10 February 2010.Retrieved29 May2010.Eighty per cent of Australian secondary schoolgirls have been vaccinated with Gardasil
  8. ^ab Whittaker, M. (4 March 2006). "God's Gift to Women".The Weekend Australian Magazine.'Ian went to huge efforts and he got themvisasto Australia,' recallsMargaret Stanley.'It says a lot about Ian. If anything should come over in your article, it's that Ian is an extremely kind man.'
  9. ^Frazer, I. H.; Crapper, R. M.; Medley, G.; Brown, T. C.; Mackay, I. R. (20 September 1986). "Association between anorectal dysplasia, human papillomavirus, and human immunodeficiency virus infection in homosexual men".The Lancet.328(8508): 657–660.doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(86)90168-6.PMID2876137.S2CID34973455.
  10. ^ Frazer, I. H.; McCamish M; Hay I; North P. (3 October 1988). "Influence of human immunodeficiency virus antibody testing on sexual behaviour in a" high-risk "population from a" low-risk "city".Med J Aust.149(7). Lions Human Immunology Laboratories, University of Queensland, Department of Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba.: 365–8.doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1988.tb120670.x.PMID3173194.S2CID29026390.
  11. ^"A hero of women and science".Diamantina Institute at The University of Queensland. Archived fromthe originalon 14 April 2009.Retrieved14 September2009.Ian Frazer was set for a career in physics when a chance encounter with an immunologist, the father of hispen-friendsgirlfriend, changed his course.
  12. ^ Sterling, J. C., ed. (August 2001). "1".Human Papillomaviruses: Clinical and Scientific Advances.London: Hodder Arnold.ISBN978-0-340-74215-0.
  13. ^Vaccines Forgotten Man[ theaustralian.au/news/tribute-to-vaccines-forgotten-man-story-e6frg600-1111116233989]
  14. ^abcWilliams, L. (August 2006). "A Simple Idea".Reader's Digest.
  15. ^ Sawaya, G. F.; Smith-McCune, Karen (10 May 2007)."HPV Vaccination – More Answers, More Questions".The New England Journal of Medicine.356(19): 1990–1991.doi:10.1056/NEJMe078088.PMID17494932.Archivedfrom the original on 4 January 2010.Retrieved30 May2010.Previous reports showed a remarkable 100% efficacy of a quadrivalent vaccine targeting HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18 on outcomes related to vaccine HPV types in women with no evidence of previous exposure to those types [...] subgroups of subjects with no evidence of previous exposure to relevant vaccine HPV types were evaluated separately for vaccine efficacy. In these subgroups, efficacy of nearly 100% against all grades of cervicalintraepithelial neoplasiaandadenocarcinomain siturelated to vaccine HPV types was reported [...] Why is vaccine efficacy modest in the entire cohort? One factor is the apparent lack of efficacy among subjects with evidence of previous exposure to HPV types included in the vaccine. The FUTURE II trial showed no effect of vaccination
  16. ^ Walker; J. (9 October 2005). "UQ Team Defeats Cervical Cancer".The Courier-Mail.Ian Frazer's break-through vaccine is 100 per cent effective against the most common form of the virus that causes cervical cancer, according to final-stage trial results [...] a delighted Professor Frazer, 52, said last night: 'It is very rare, almost unheard of, to achieve a 100 per cent efficacy rate in any treatment, so these results are truly wonderful.'
  17. ^ Estimates of the contemporary global mortality rate have remained in the 190,000 to 300,000 range from 2000 to 2010.The 2007 WHO progress reportsays that preventable cervical cancer "was responsible in 2005 for up to 500,000 new cases, and up to 257,000 deaths, more than 90% in low- and middle-income countries",but,"According to WHO’s projections, deaths from cervical cancer will rise to 320,000 in 2015 and to 435,000 in 2030"(p.4). These projections may be little effected by vaccination programs (anyway unlikely on cost grounds) because"A reduction in cancer incidence and mortality might not be measurable before 10 to 30 years after the vaccine is introduced."(p.5). Other estimates of the problem's scale are broadly in agreement:
    • Kennedy, F. (25 January 2006). "UQ Australian of the Year Will Continue Fight for Women's Health".UQ News.Professor Frazer said Australia and otherdeveloped nationshad effective Pap smear programs to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. 'Despite this, cervical cancer continues to be a shocking disease for women in the developed world. Women living in poverty in the developing world, where Pap smears are not widely available, account for most of the 250,000 deaths from cervical cancer each year. So this vaccine has the potential to do most good in the developing world, where it could help lift women out ofpovertyby relieving the burden of disease
    • "Transcripts – Professor Ian Frazer".Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Retrieved29 May2010.Ian Frazer was made Australian of the Year in 2006. He and his team at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane have developed a vaccine to beat cervical cancers that kill 250,000 women a year worldwide.
    • "Cervical Cancer Statistics".CervicalCancer.org. 2 March 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 5 December 2020.Retrieved29 May2010.A woman dies of cervical cancer approximately every 2 minutes. In less developed countries, this type of cancer is the second most common in women and accounts for up to 300,000 annual deaths.
  18. ^ Kantrowitz, Barbara (15 March 2010)."Message in a BottleThe subtle ads for drug giant Glaxo's new cervical-cancer drugs have people talking ".Newsweek.Retrieved29 May2010.Cervarixmay also protect againstother typesthat cause cervical cancer, but more research is needed to confirm this....GlaxoSmithKline's] estimate of the prevalence of cervical cancer in United States roughly matches theNational Cancer Institute's statistics. But according to theWorld Health Organization,the disease is far more common indeveloping countries,which account for 80 percent of the annual cases worldwide and about 190,000 deaths a year (compared to about 4,000 deaths in United States).
  19. ^Chen, Huanhuan; Wang, Danhong (22 October 2007)."An interview with Jian Zhou's wife, Dr. Xiaoyi Sun".Science Times.
  20. ^abSiers-Poisson, Judith (18 July 2007)."Profit Knows No Borders, Selling Gardasil to the Rest of the World".Center for Media and Democracy.Archived fromthe originalon 24 June 2009.The federal government will also cover young women who are not in school and are still under 27 years through theirgeneral practitionersand community immunization clinics. This age group will receive the vaccine free from July 2007, until the end of June 2009.
  21. ^abBeran, Ruth (21 June 2006)."Ian Frazer's patent problem".Australian Life Scientist.Archived fromthe originalon 6 April 2012.Jian Zhou died in 1999, but he was an equal partner
  22. ^ Frazer, I. (November 2007)."Correlating immunity with protection for HPV infection".International Journal of Infectious Diseases.11.Elsevier: S10–S16.doi:10.1016/s1201-9712(07)60016-2.PMID18162240.with no breakthrough HPV infections due to waning immunity, the minimum protective anti-HPV antibody level could not be ascertained. Nevertheless, antibody titer has been used as a surrogate marker of protection in clinical trials, particularly in adolescent populations in whom efficacy studies are not feasible.(The 100% efficacious immunity is against HPV 16 and 18-related cervical cancer indicators.)
  23. ^ Crager, S. E.; Guillen, E.; Price, M. (2009)."University Contributions to the HPV Vaccine and Implications for Access to Vaccines in Developing Countries"(PDF).American Journal of Law & Medicine.35(2–3): 253–79.doi:10.1177/009885880903500202.PMID19697749.S2CID10603131.Evaluating the ability of a vaccine to induce a specific immune response is far less complex, less costly, and less time-consuming, than performing clinical trials to assess the ability of the vaccine to confer protective immunity.
  24. ^Pollard, Ruth (9 September 2006)."One small jab, but a giant leap for womankind".Sydney Morning Herald.Archivedfrom the original on 5 December 2020.Retrieved8 September2006.It will mean a 70 per cent reduction in abnormalpap smears,and in parts of the world where there are no pap smears, a 70 per cent reduction in cervical cancer. "
  25. ^ "Australian of the Year Awards – Australian of the Year 2006".australianoftheyear.org.au. Archived fromthe originalon 1 May 2010.Retrieved28 May2010.Ian embodies Australian know-how, determination and innovation
  26. ^Lewis, Wendy(2010).Australians of the Year.Pier 9 Press.ISBN978-1-74196-809-5.
  27. ^ Crawford, C.; Elsworth, S. (20 September 2009)."Ian Frazer defends cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil".The Courier-Mail.Brisbane:Queensland Newspapers.Retrieved29 May2010."For 23 million doses that have been given out, we received 12,424 reports of adverse events",Centers for Disease Control and Preventionstudy author Barbara Slade said. [...] Of the adverse reports in the US, 772 cases were considered serious
  28. ^Klein, Renate (21 September 2008)."The Gardasil 'miracle' coming undone?".On Line Opinion,Australia's e-journal of social and political debate.p. 2.Archivedfrom the original on 5 December 2020.Retrieved29 May2010.Frazer: "God's Gift to Women" proclaimed the cover ofThe Weekend Australian's magazine [...] In Australia, critics are almost perceived asnational traitors
  29. ^Klein, Renate."The Gardasil 'miracle' coming undone?".p. 1.Archivedfrom the original on 17 October 2009.Retrieved30 May2010.It was only on 23–24 February 2008 that the Victorian Cytology Service ran a job advertisement for a 'newly created position' to 'help establish and operate the new National HPV Vaccination Program' (The Australian,23–24 February 2008). That's 11 months after thousands of school girls had already received the jab.
  30. ^ab"Queensland scientist profiles > Ian Frazer".Queensland Government. 9 February 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 13 May 2011.Retrieved29 May2010.'What is the most unusual or fun thing you've done in your job?' Being Australian of the Year and carrying theCommonwealth Gamestorch around Darling Harbour on a boat on Australia Day
  31. ^"Selected awards".di.uq.edu.au. Archived fromthe originalon 14 April 2009.Retrieved29 May2010.
  32. ^"Cervical cancer vaccine research wins CSIRO Eureka Prize (Media Release)".csiro. 10 September 2005.Archivedfrom the original on 5 December 2020.Retrieved29 May2010.
  33. ^"Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement".achievement.org.American Academy of Achievement.Archivedfrom the original on 15 December 2016.Retrieved11 July2020.
  34. ^"Profile on Professor Ian Frazer – Diamantina Institute at The University of Queensland".di.uq.edu.au. Archived fromthe originalon 14 April 2009.Retrieved29 May2010.For his creation of the first vaccine designed to protect against a cancer, Ian Frazer receives the Prime Ministers Prize for Science.
  35. ^"International Balzan Prize Foundation: The Balzan Forum 2008 at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei".balzan.org. Archived fromthe originalon 28 August 2010.Retrieved29 May2010.
  36. ^"Ian Frazer wins AMA gold medal for work on cervical cancer vaccines".Australian Medical Association. 31 May 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 8 December 2010.Retrieved29 May2010.Through the development of vaccines, Ian has helped protect the lives of countless women
  37. ^"Professor Ian Hector Frazer FRS".Royal Society. Archived fromthe originalon 13 July 2012.Retrieved18 March2012.
  38. ^"Professor Ian Hector Frazer FRS CorrFRSE".The Royal Society of Edinburgh.Archivedfrom the original on 15 March 2018.Retrieved14 March2018.
  39. ^Farrow, Lauren (5 March 2012)."Seven added to national living treasure list".Canberra Times.Archivedfrom the original on 5 March 2012.Retrieved8 March2012.
  40. ^"Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC)"(PDF).The Queen's Birthday 2012 Honours Lists.Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia.11 June 2012. p.3.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 June 2012.
  41. ^"Cervical cancer vaccine inventor to target herpes".3 February 2014.
  42. ^"About TRI".Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2013.Retrieved7 January2013.
  43. ^"Cancer Control in the 21st Century".James Cook University.25 May 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 16 May 2010.Retrieved29 May2010.
  44. ^Leng, Lay (November 2008). Candace, Lim (ed.)."FEATURE: Vaccinating against Cancer".Innovation.7(3). Singapore:World Scientific Publishing& TheNUS.Archived fromthe originalon 13 July 2011.Retrieved29 May2010.According to Frazer, the opportunity for vaccine improvement comes from noveladjuvants[...] andrecombinant DNA
  45. ^ Kelly, James (30 March 2010)."Vaccine doctor's good news".Stateline Queensland.ABC.Retrieved29 May2010.It's not exactly the same virus and therefore the vaccine we already have will not protect against that particular cancer. But the technology that we've used to develop a vaccine for cervical cancer should in principle be possible to use for prevention of some skin cancers.
  46. ^ "Scientist Ian Frazer close to creating skin cancer vaccine".Brisbane Times.16 November 2008.Retrieved29 May2010.If we can get encouraging results we will try and push it on as fast as we can. It's really a given that we try to focus on health problems that are significant ones.
  47. ^ "Professor Ian Frazer wins Prime Minister's Prize for Science".Cancer Council Australia. 17 October 2008.Retrieved28 May2010.Sometimes it seems almost impossible to believe that something we did all those years ago could have such a dramatic impact on so many people
  48. ^"Ian Frazer honoured by major Fellowship".coridon. 6 June 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2009.Retrieved29 May2010.I saw becoming a fellow of the AAS as recognition received towards the end of a career, whereas I see myself working in research for a lot longer yet
  49. ^"Fellowship | AAHMS – Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences".aahms.org.Archivedfrom the original on 29 June 2019.Retrieved26 June2018.

External links[edit]

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