Greetings from sunny San Diego. I am here for the 20th IBC Antibody Engineering Meeting. It is incredible to witness the growth of the field. In 1990 there was one clinically approved monoclonal antibody, and many people derided researchers in the field for hitching their wagon to the wrong horse. Now, there are 28 approved antibodies, yielding over $37 billion in yearly revenues. Nearly half of all cancer drug sales are for antibodies.
When I think back on the early IBC meetings, I remember being part of a hardy band of idealistic pioneers, mixed with some zealots and a handful of opportunists. There were more perceived valleys than peaks, but we persevered, and somehow, when we weren’t paying close enough attention, the field absolutely blossomed. On Thursday, I chaired a session and spoke in another; one speaker after another presented exciting preclinical data, mixed with clinical trials demonstrating the utility of existing agents and the extraordinary results that are being obtained in the clinic with new agents.
The power of persistence, patience and belief in the future is underestimated, but should never be overlooked. When I think of many events in the communal life of our cancer center, I am deeply appreciative of all of Lombardi’s visionaries who have simply persevered, and converted their innovation, hard work and collegiality into a remarkable success story that is still in progress. And, I can most certainly assure you that the best is yet to come.