The next step for the Cancer Moonshot initiative involves updates on what's been done so far to reach the lofty goal of eradicating the disease and discussions on what's left to do.
Cancer doctors, scientists, patients and survivors will come together in Washington and around the country this week to discuss furthering research and collaboration on cancer treatment.
The Cancer Moonshot Summit is the first large public event since January, when President Barack Obama put Vice President Joe Biden in charge of the initiative and requested more than $750 million in the fiscal 2017 budget for cancer research.
The main event Wednesday will be at Howard University and includes participants such as the Cancer Support Community and the Association of Community Cancer Centers. Dozens of regional summits are planned on the same day. MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has planned a panel discussion and will gather participants' ideas for improving collaboration.
Greg Simon, executive director of the Moonshot task force, wrote in a blog post that the initiative involves all sectors of society, including government agencies, scientists, academics and private researchers.
“This isn't about technology development, computational power or healthcare record management alone—it is about keeping people alive without the scourge of cancer as best we can through better use of technology, data and human resources,” he said.
