Xiao Yi Sun, the widow of Jian Zhou, pictured with Ian Frazer
Congratulations to Professor Ian Frazer of The University of Queensland, and his research colleague the late Jian Zhou, on being voted Popular Prize winners at the European Patent Office’s prestigious European Inventor Award ceremony in Paris.
Professor Frazer, a former Australian of the Year, and Jian Zhou’s widow Xiao Yi Sun, were at the ceremony in Paris to accept the award, in front of an audience of world-class researchers and inventors. Hearty congratulations to you both!
Cicero Communications was delighted to partner with global PR firm Shepard Fox to provide the Australian PR for this campaign, achieving more than 100 media hits in a two-stage campaign (announcement of finalists and announcement and winners) across TV, radio, national newspapers and online media.
The global campaign was a major task, with PR professionals working on the ground in more than a dozen countries including France, Great Britain, China, Australia, Japan and the USA.
Almost 47 000 people from around the world voted and named Ian Frazer (Australia) and Jian Zhou (China) as the winners for their vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV).
The invention by Ian Frazer and Jian Zhou at the University of Queensland, Australia, changed preventative women’s health forever. Their progressive vaccine disrupts the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) – a sexually-transmitted virus infecting the skin and mucosal tissues – and cervical cancer.
The widely available vaccine, Gardasil, has been used more than 125 million times since market entry in 2006, and is now used in 121 countries. The WHO and public health agencies in Australia, Canada, Europe and the US recommend vaccination against HPV for young women aged nine to 25. The vaccine signifies a vital step forward in the fight against cancer, in particular for regions without basic healthcare and no preventive diagnostic procedures.
Learn more about Professor Frazer’s win here and more about his latest research at https://www.tri.edu.au/.
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