The Biden administration is convening a Cancer Cabinet meeting Sept. 13 to unveil new initiatives meant to advance key goals of the Cancer Moonshot of cutting the cancer death rate by at least half within 25 years and improving the lives of people affected by cancer.
According to a White House news release, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health will put $240 million toward cancer-related projects this year. The funds will be used to develop new tools for early cancer detection, enhance the precision of surgical approaches to remove cancer cells, and advance innovative treatment approaches which include directing bacteria to target cancer cells.
Additionally, the administration plans to create a "biomedical data fabric toolbox" to improve data accessibility on cancer research. As it stands, cancer research data in the U.S. is collected and stored across thousands of research labs and other sources, "making it difficult for cancer researchers to leverage the full potential of massive amounts of data that exist." The toolbox project aims to modernize the nation's cancer research system so more experts have access to the data, and to connect patients to discoveries and breakthroughs sooner.
A number of other new Cancer Moonshot initiatives were unveiled, including a project to improve equity in access to cancer clinical trials and a $15 million project for the CDC to award communities that reduce the use of menthol and flavored tobacco products.
Through Cancer Moonshot, the U.S. aims to prevent at least 4 million cancer deaths by 2047. Earlier this year, HHS debuted a plan to achieve moonshot goals.