On Feb. 2, 2024, President Biden celebrated the two-year anniversary of the reignited 2016 White House Cancer Moonshot initiative, an effort across multiple federal agencies aimed to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years. Cancer Moonshot is also focused on improving the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer, with a goal to ultimately end cancer. To that end, the military medical community has made great strides and advancements.
Uniformed Services University’s Murtha Cancer Center Research Program in Bethesda, Maryland leads the DOD’s component of Cancer Moonshot’s efforts. Among many groundbreaking research projects, the Program has achieved national acclaim for its role in ovarian cancer research, development of targeted therapies for breast cancer that doesn’t respond to treatment, as well as lung and skin cancer research.
In response to Cancer Moonshot, the DOD, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Cancer Institute created the Applied Proteogenomics Organizational Learning and Outcomes Network. As a trial network, APOLLO was part of a White House "reignition" Fact Sheet: President Biden Reignites Cancer Moonshot to End Cancer as We Know It. APOLLO originally included 13 DOD and VA hospitals that launched eight cancer-specific programs, including studies in lung, breast, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, testicular, and brain cancers. Today, APOLLO is comprised of 15 DOD and VA hospitals and has expanded to studies of all cancer types.
At its initial launch in 2016, Cancer Moonshot set forth three ambitious goals:
- Accelerate scientific discovery in cancer
- Foster greater collaboration
- Improve the sharing of data
Cancer Moonshot has united a large community of investigators and clinicians who are dedicated to expediting research to improve the lives of people with cancer and their loved ones.
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Last Updated: February 05, 2024