Vice President Joe Biden to Speak on Ambitious ‘Cancer Moonshot’ Initiative

Associated Press
Updated
Biden, who lost his son to cancer, chairs a task force that aims to cure the disease

(BOSTON) — Vice President Joe Biden is speaking in Boston about the White House’s ambitious push to find a cure for cancer.

Biden will speak Wednesday afternoon about the so-called “Cancer Moonshot” initiative at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate.

President Obama announced the initiative in his final State of the Union address in January.

He’s created a task force comprised of the heads of at least a dozen federal departments and agencies, including the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Biden, whose son died from cancer last year, serves as chair. The task force aims to double the rate of progress in cancer research and treatment, accomplishing what could be achieved in ten years in five.