In his State of the Union speech earlier this week, President Obama asked Vice President Joe Biden to lead the "moonshot" to cure cancer that Biden asked for last year. This statement has received national attention and has created quite a buzz over the last few days.
Key leaders in cancer care and research have stepped forward to offer commentary on the "moonshot," including:
Brian Bolwell, MD, Chairman of Taussig Cancer Institute at Cleveland Clinic and Associate Director for the Taussig Cancer Institute at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, wrote a guest commentary on the topic, 6 Steps to Achieving President Obama's 'Cancer Moonshot', and was quoted in several news sources including: CNN, Medscape, and Helio/HemOnc Today.
American Association of Cancer Institutes (AACI): AACI Thanks President Obama, Vice President Biden for Highlighting Cancer 'Moonshot'
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR): AACR Thanks President Obama and Vice President Biden for Their Strong Commitment to Cancer Research and Biomedical Science in State of the Union Address
American Society of Clinical Oncology: ASCO Praises President's Sharp Focus on Cancer
American Cancer Society: How Obama's cancer 'moonshot' can save many lives
My comments were included in a story by ABC, President Obama's Cancer 'Moon Shot': How Scientists Are Trying to Cure the Disease.
It is important that we speak up and help to offer guidance as this initiative develops. Last month, Vice President Biden worked with Congress to give the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources that they've had in over a decade. Having President Obama move cancer research to the front burner is astonishing, and it really could be a game-changer.
To accomplish this goal though, we must continue to conduct fundamental research, and need more money coming to the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health. We are on the verge being able to direct those dollars to areas where they can be incredibly well-spent, and the return on that investment will mean longer lives and better lifestyle for patients, and many more cures. However, we must recognize that this comes with a challenge: curing cancer is a lot more complicated than any moonshot or any space mission will be.