Is the cancer moonshot stuck in orbit?

More money than can be wisely allocated and properly coordinated has been pouring into lots of worthwhile projects in the wake of President Obama’s January establishment of the National Cancer Moonshot initiative to speed up cancer research.

That’s a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem.

The third week of April, veep Joe Biden, who is heading up the initiative, spoke on the situation at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“Why is all of that [research] being done separately?” he asked rhetorically.

Reporting on the state of the moonshot, Science sheds light on what’s going on—and the reality is understandable even if it’s not pretty.

“I don’t see my role as trying to answer this larger question about how does this all fit together,” Jeffrey Bluestone, chief executive of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, tells the journal. “I’m focused on how to make sure what we do is impactful for patients.”

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Dave Pearson

Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.

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