The Cancer Moonshot program network, a pet project of the Biden Administration and an initiative near and dear to the President since his days as VP, is marking the 1st anniversary since its revival with a proliferation of programs — and added funding to match. With a mission to “end cancer as we know it today,” the overall project as established in 2016 is meant to whittle away at cancer death rates over time to hit a goal of halving that statistic by 2047.
This second incarnation was jump-started with a $1.8 billion research funding purse and ambitions to form a Cancer Cabinet comprised of the U.S. government’s best-and-brightest scientific leaders, which were to be charged with both hashing out and tracking the project’s research agenda. Since then, according to the White House, that cabinet has held “more than 50 community conversations and events” and seen more than 60 private companies, nonprofits, academic institutions, and patient groups including Siemens Healthineers and the National Minority Quality Forum lining up to collaborate.
A newer addition in the mix is AI technology, which has become a focal point for diagnostic advancement in recent years, especially in the program’s interim. Also in consideration are equitable screenings as well as healthcare access, and the Cancer Moonshot is prioritizing team-ups with companies developing solutions addressing the ever-expanding care gap in the U.S.
