Professor Richard Scolyer says his future is now measured in “months rather than decades” — but he is optimistic he has paved the way for clinical trials of an experimental brain cancer treatment he believes is prolonging his life. 

The high-profile pathologist was speaking after he and colleague Professor Georgina Long – co-medical directors at the Melanoma Institute Australia – were named this year’s Australians of the Year.

Professor Scolyer was diagnosed with a grade 4 isocitrate dehydrogenase-wildtype glioblastoma some eight months ago after a sudden unexplained seizure while traveling in Poland.

Following discussions with Professor Long, he decided to become a human guinea pig, experimenting with the immunology treatments he had seen revolutionise the treatment of melanoma in the last 20 years.