Moonshot to Cure Cancer: Hope on the Horizon

Nearly 1.7 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year alone. About 600,000 people will die from the disease. While medical advances have greatly enhanced survival rates in many forms of the disease, the reality is no cure yet exists. That is precisely what the White House is hoping to change with its "Moonshot" to cure cancer initiative.

The federal push to fund and encourage research into cancer-treating – and hopefully curing – methods comes on the heels of Vice President Joe Biden’s son Beau’s death. Biden and President Barack Obama envision the country’s top researchers working in concert much like the effort undertaken in the 1960s to put the first man on the moon. The idea is to focus the country’s investments and its best and brightest researchers on a singular mission: to eradicate the disease.

To ensure a concerted effort, the White House’s initiative involves a number of prongs meant to advance cancer research rapidly and effectively. Those prong include:

• A push for cancer immunology and prevent – Preventing the disease in the first place has become a very big focus on the national front. The government is pushing the importance of health diets, exercise and vaccines, such as those meant to prevent the HPV virus.

• Better data sharing – The government is also advocating for researchers to more readily share data. After all, open communication among researchers may very well lead to improved treatments and a possible cure.

• Expanded clinical trials – The government is also advocating bringing promising new treatments to the clinical trial phase more rapidly. This may help cut out some of the red tape that can potentially delay new treatments being made available to the general public.

To facilitate the effort, the government has created a Cancer Moonshot Task Force. Led by Biden, the task force is charged with identifying areas of promise to invest in, promoting private-sector efforts, offering targeted incentives and more. The project encompasses a $1 billion investment to fund research and essentially accelerate the development of new cancer detection methods and treatments. All told, 13 different government agencies are part of the task force. That move is meant to help ensure focused efforts to accelerate research are truly made.

Whether the "moonshot" will prove as successful as the 1960’s undertaking remains to be seen. With $1 billion in backing and a commitment to open the lines of communication, however, the project represents a big step forward. Perhaps, one day soon, cancer will be tackled like many other diseases before it.

At Las Colinas Cancer Center, a Choice Cancer Care Treatment Center, our team is committed to providing the personalized, compassionate treatment that can make all the difference in cancer care.

a href=http://lascolinascancercenter.com/about-usAt Las Colinas Cancer Center, a Choice Cancer Care Treatment Center, our team is committed to providing the personalized, compassionate treatment that can make all the difference in cancer care.