Club Meeting

The speaker at the virtual meeting of the Rotary Club of South Queensferry on Thursday 5th August was David Renwick, husband of club member Vikki. His subject was the new form of cancer treatment ADCs. After studying chemistry at Hull University, he specialised in project management and good manufacturing practice in the pharmaceutical industry. He now works for CDMO at Grangemouth liaising between the company's scientists and their clients in pharmaceuticals production. His company is at the cutting edge of new alternative cancer treatment. In a very well-illustrated presentation, David summarised the various types of cancer from which people can suffer and the conventional treatments currently being used, namely surgery; radiation; chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. Most of these are very intrusive and can have many unpleasant side effects. ADCs or Antibody Drug Conjugates, are very precisely directed at cancer cells and are more efficient than previous therapies, discriminating between healthy and diseased tissue, targeting and killing cancer cells and thus causing much less peripheral damage and fewer side effects.  Developed over the last ten years, they represent a new gold standard in  cancer treatment and currently over eighty ADCs are in clinical trials with various makers. Of course any new treatment comes at high cost. Whereas single doses of many conventional treatments cost only a few pounds, a single dose of an ADC costs about £2,500 - £2,650. On the other hand, they need not be administered as frequently and give excellent results. David said that working in the field of ADCs was very satisfying. He and his colleagues are constantly reminded that the products they work on save patients' lives or, at the very least, extend  the duration and quality of life with fewer side effects.

David was introduced by Alistair Rarity. The vote of thanks was proposed by Ed Kelly.