[In Depth] Biden seeks clear course for his cancer moonshot
Vice President Joseph Biden last week vowed to tackle "cancer politics" during an unusual roundtable at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Sitting alongside leading oncologists and National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, Biden elaborated on his plans for the cancer "moonshot" that President Barack Obama had highlighted 3 days earlier in the State of the Union address. Biden's goal is to catalyze greater investment, coordination, and collaboration in a field marked by multiple initiatives, targeting a complex of many different diseases. He has already consulted with some 200 cancer experts worldwide and is planning to set up a task force. Although detail about the initiative is scarce, Biden's interest is energizing the cancer research community. Authors: Jocelyn Kaiser, Jennifer Couzin-Frankel