Newswise — The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) thanks President Barack Obama for his call for a "cancer moonshot" in his final State of the Union address, and Vice President Joe Biden’s focus on expanded cooperation among cancer centers.
AACI President George J. Weiner, MD, director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa, applauded the President's remarks, saying:
"It is an incredible time in cancer research and cancer medicine. In many ways, a cancer moonshot is much more challenging than the original moonshot. There is only one moon, and its behavior is predictable based on the laws of physics. However, every cancer is different and every patient is different. Nevertheless, based on years of progress resulting from research conducted in large part at the nation's academic cancer centers, we now understand cancer better than ever and are advancing clinical care for cancer patients at a rapid pace.”
In a follow-up to the President's speech, Vice President Biden outlined in a blog post plans to encourage leading cancer centers to reach unprecedented levels of cooperation. AACI cancer centers currently collaborate in many ways based on the understanding that success in cancer research, education and care is faster when we work together. The Vice President’s call to action will push AACI cancer centers to a new level of partnership and cooperation. Comprised of 95 premier academic cancer research centers in the U.S. and Canada, AACI is poised to ease the burden of cancer by supporting the ability of its member centers to work together.
“A coordinated cancer moonshot will allow us to accelerate our research progress, thereby reducing the pain and suffering caused by cancer, for current and future generations,” Dr. Weiner said. “The nation's cancer centers look forward to working with the President and Vice President to move these general concepts from the drawing board to the launching pad."
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