It’s been 20 years since the first doses of the HPV vaccine were administred in 2006 (top right). The vaccine was created by Emeritus Professor Ian Frazer AC (foreground and top left) and his colleague Dr Jian Zhou (bottom left).
(Photo credit: © The University of Queensland. Courtesy of the University Archives
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Twenty years ago, the first dose of a UQ-developed vaccine was given to a teenage girl in Brisbane. That same vaccine is now on track to end cervical cancer in Australia.
August 28, 2026, marks the 20th anniversary of the first dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine – now known as Gardasil 9 – which immunises recipients against the virus that is the leading cause of cervical cancer.
The vaccine, developed by Emeritus Professor Ian Frazer AC and the late Dr Jian Zhou, is now offered to all children aged 12-13 years old through the school-based National Immunisation Program.
Worldwide, more than 600 million doses of Gardasil have been administered.
Professor Frazer, who is now retired from UQ and serves on the board of the Translational Research Institute (TRI) Foundation, said ridding Australia of cervical cancer was a result he’d only dreamed of when he started looking into HPV in the 1980s.
“We couldn’t have imagined the impact this research would have and I feel very privileged to have been a part of this outcome,” Professor Frazer said.
Creating the legacy
Professor Frazer met Dr Zhou in 1989 while on sabbatical at the University of Cambridge, where Dr Zhou was a research fellow.
After realising they shared a research interest in HPV, Professor Frazer invited Dr Zhou and his wife, fellow researcher Dr Xiao Yi Sun, to work at UQ.
For a year they worked on replicating the virus, and then in 1991 they were working in the lab and noticed virus-like particles on an electron micrograph – an image captured using an electron microscope.
“Jian said, ‘We’ve got the shell of the virus’ and I said, ‘Yes, and we’ve probably got a vaccine’,” Professor Frazer said.
“We knew that because we got something that looked like the virus, there was a good chance that it could be a vaccine.”
They filed the first patent and in 1994, UQ’s commercial arm UniQuest licenced the intellectual property to CSL Limited in Melbourne, which then sub-licensed the HPV technology to Merck & Co 2 years later to start developing a vaccine.
The vaccine was ready for clinical trials in 1997, with testing continuing for 8 years.
However, the legacy took a heartbreaking turn in 1999 when Dr Zhou died after a brief illness.
Professor Ian Frazer with Dr Jian Zhou’s widow and fellow researcher Dr Xiao Yi Sun.
“It’s sad that Jian died before the work was publicly recognised,” Professor Frazer said.
“It’s important we recognise his major contribution to everything that was achieved.”
Dr Sun, who was part of the research team, said it was overwhelming to think about the impact of the research.
“Were he alive today, Jian would simply be grateful that his work has helped save lives because that was his nature” Dr Sun said.
“Were he alive today, Jian would simply be grateful that his work has helped save lives because that was his nature” Dr Sun said.
“He always approached science with humility, creative thinking, and a determination to do the very best work he could for the benefit of others.”
Phase 3 clinical trials involved more than 12,000 women and girls aged 16-26, across 13 countries.
The clinical evidence was so strong that the study was halted early to enable the young women in the placebo group to receive the vaccine.
Women who received first dose remember the significance
Following international and national drug approvals, history was made on 28 August 2006 when the first official dose of the Gardasil vaccine was given to teenage girls at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.
Rachel Kerr (nee McMillan) was 15 years old at the time, and her parents Nigel and Denise McMillan, were colleagues of Professor Frazer.
“I remember the day as being important and that vaccines were obviously good things that help people,” Ms Kerr recalled.
“I was more nervous about the cameras on the day, not so much the needle. But I do remember they gave us a lollipop at the end!”
Now, as a mother of 2 and a paediatric nurse, Ms Kerr can see how vital vaccines are.
Sisters Emma Sciacca and Rachel Kerr received the first doses of the HPV vaccine as teenagers in 2006.
(Photo credit: Inset images: © The University of Queensland. Courtesy of the University Archives)
“They are obviously really important from a public health perspective,” she said.
“I have seen reports that cervical cancer is on its way to being eliminated in young women in Australia, and it is just so amazing that has been able to happen.
“Hopefully by the time my children grow up, no women in their cohort will get cervical cancer.”
“Hopefully by the time my children grow up, no women in their cohort will get cervical cancer.”
Rachel’s younger sister, veterinarian Dr Emma Sciacca, is also proud to have been part of a such a significant health breakthrough.
“I am very grateful for the protection the vaccine has given me against an awful disease and, as an adult and parent to 3 children, I’d make the same decision,” Dr Sciacca said.
“With both our parents being scientists, I recall there was a lot of excitement about the vaccine and what had been achieved.”
Eliminating cervical cancer
Studies have shown that because of the vaccine, Australia is on track to become the first country to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035.
The 2025 Cervical Cancer Elimination Progress Report stated there were no new cervical cancer cases diagnosed in women aged under 25 years in 2021.
“This remarkable achievement is almost certainly due to the impact of HPV vaccination,” the report stated.
UQ’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Deborah Terry AC said the Gardasil vaccine had been revolutionary in many ways.
“It was the first vaccine in the world to protect against any kind of cancer and has been the impetus for the strong biomedical sector we have in Queensland today,” Professor Terry said.
“There is no better example of the role research universities play in solving some of society’s greatest challenges.
“Professor Frazer and Dr Zhou’s tenacity has also made an immense difference to people’s lives at home and abroad.
“Great scientists are more than just curious.
“They have an awareness of the impact of their curiosity and how they can channel it to not only to pursue scientific breakthroughs, but to realise the benefits of their work for humanity and for society more broadly.”
Dr Xiao Yi Sun with her son Andreas Zhou (left) visit a UQ lab.
Worldwide impact
Figures show cervical cancer vaccines, like Gardasil, have saved millions of lives across the world.
But Professor Frazer cautions there is still a long way to go.
“The cervical cancer vaccine has been well used in the developed world, but we still have a major problem getting the vaccine into the developing world, where screening programs are also limited,” Professor Frazer said.
“This is where I hope the future focus will be.”
Dr Sun agrees.
“Seeing Australia move towards eliminating cervical cancer is deeply encouraging and my hope is that this life-saving vaccine continues to reach those who need it most,” Dr Sun said.
“I have always admired Professor Frazer’s dedication over many years to helping people in developing countries benefit from the HPV vaccine.
“I hope we can continue working towards making this protection available to everyone who needs it.”
Epidemiologist and one of the scientists that co-led the World Health Organization Cervical Cancer Elimination Modelling Consortium, Professor Karen Canfell AC, from the Cancer Elimination Collaboration at the University of Sydney, said HPV vaccines have opened the door to a new ‘elimination’ framework for addressing the global cancer burden.
“Aspiring to eliminate any disease is profound, let alone having an evidence-based global strategy, with targets, to guide its achievement,” Professor Canfell said.
“A generation ago, it’s difficult to imagine anyone discussing disease elimination and cancer in the same sentence.
“A generation ago, it’s difficult to imagine anyone discussing disease elimination and cancer in the same sentence.
“It’s a wonderful legacy, and a great time to celebrate the remarkable achievements of Ian Frazer, Jian Zhou and their team.”
What’s next?
Cervical cancer was estimated to cause around 340,000 deaths in women worldwide in 2022, and it leaves more than 200,000 children without a mother every year.
Professor Canfell said while Australia is on track for elimination by 2035, further efforts and investment will be required to realise elimination equitably.
“On current trends, it will take First Nations Australians over a decade longer to attain the elimination goal,” Professor Canfell said.
“Addressing inequities is the top priority, and there needs to be a concerted effort to reach all unvaccinated girls and boys and all eligible unscreened and under-screened adults.
“It’s a matter of saving as many lives as possible in the short term, while building the core and having a sustainable plan to ensure the long-term elimination goals will also be met.”
Professor Ian Frazer in UQ’s Great Court.
Can we vaccinate against other cancers?
WHO data shows cancer-causing infections are responsible for about 30 per cent of cancers in low-and middle-income countries, and 10 per cent worldwide.
Known cancer-causing infections include some strains of papillomavirus, hepatitis viruses (B and C), the glandular fever virus Epstein Barr, and some polyoma viruses.
HPV is responsible for almost all cervical cancers, as well as several perineal, genitoanal and oral cancers.
Professor Frazer said vaccines for other viruses that cause cancer are possible.
“We already have effective vaccines to prevent infection with some viruses,” Professor Frazer said.
“Vaccines against hepatitis B and papillomavirus, for instance, have reduced the burden of cancer caused by these viruses.
“We know how to do the work. All it will take is funding to support the research, scientists working on these vaccines, and time.
“Research and science are always a joint venture.”
