President Creates Cancer Task Force

President Barack Obama has created a White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force to find ways to bring the U.S. closer to curing cancer. The task force will be led by Vice President Joseph Biden and include members from 13 agencies or executive offices, such as the Department of Defense, Office of Science & Technology Policy, National Cancer Institute, and National Science Foundation. Obama first mentioned his “moon shot” goal of curing cancer in his State of the Union address in January, but this is his first concrete move to work on the problem. Among its goals, the task force will make recommendations to help speed the creation of new cancer treatments, identify regulatory burdens that slow research, encourage better access to research and data, and suggest public-private partnerships. Biden, whose son died from brain cancer last year, will appoint an executive director for the task force. The National Institutes of Health will provide funding and administrative support for the group.