Australian scientist to unveil skin cancer vaccine

Sydney: An Australian scientist is set to outline a breakthrough that could pave the way for a skin cancer vaccine, according to reports on Sunday.

Professor Ian Frazer told The Sunday Telegraph that tests of the vaccine on animals had proven successful and that human trials could begin as soon as next year.

"If we can get encouraging results, we will try and push it on as fast as we can," he told the paper.

Frazer said a skin cancer vaccine could be available in five to 10 years and would be used on children aged between 10 and 12 to prevent them from getting skin cancer.

Frazer will deliver his findings to the Australian Health and Medical Research Congress on Monday.

The University of Queensland researcher had developed the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil.