Cancer Moonshot has ‘galvanized’ research community, NCI director says
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Inspired by the death of then-Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Beau, due to glioblastoma, the NCI launched the Cancer Moonshot in 2016 with the goal of advancing cancer research and treatment.
The 21st Century Cures Act allocated $1.8 billion in funding to Cancer Moonshot over 7 years.
About midway through the funding, the program’s advisory Blue Ribbon Panel and NCI Director Norman Sharpless, MD, discussed Cancer Moonshot’s progress and impact on the cancer landscape, as well as future directions and potential initiatives for the program.
“This is a good time to take stock of what Moonshot has accomplished and where it’s going now,” Sharpless said. “This program has made such an impact in terms of galvanizing the cancer research community and producing a new way of thinking about data sharing and collaboration. It’s helped all of us advance President Biden’s goal of ending cancer as we know it.”
A ‘massive undertaking’
Dinah Singer, PhD, NCI deputy director and co-chair of the Blue Ribbon Panel, discussed the three overarching goals of Cancer Moonshot to accelerate scientific discovery in cancer, foster more collaboration and improve data sharing.
She noted that since the launch of Cancer Moonshot, NCI has invested more than $1 billion in Moonshot funding, which has contributed to over 240 research projects across more than 70 cancer research initiatives.
“It’s safe to say that the Moonshot has been a massive undertaking [that] has already borne scientific fruit and laid critical foundations for future advances,” Singer said in her presentation. “I am enthusiastic about the progress already made and I look forward to the additional discoveries and innovations to come.”
Work still to be done
In his presentation, Sharpless addressed a two-pronged question about the future of Cancer Moonshot and beyond.
“In terms of finishing off the Moonshot, we still have work to do. We have identified some gaps in technology, some elements such as visual tools and imaging capabilities,” he said. “We also have work to do in cell-based therapy manufacturing.”
NCI is continuing to work on the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel at the initiation of Cancer Moonshot, he said.
“For example, we’re continuing to work on the recommendation to do retrospective analyses of biospecimens that have been collected nationally in the trials network,” he said. “That effort has taken longer than we expected and is still certainly an area where we anticipate future focus, including a molecular profiling response treatment initiative that we plan to undertake.”
‘Investigator-initiated science’
In terms of the future beyond the Cancer Moonshot, Sharpless indicated a possible continuation of the effort in some form.
“Of course, the administration and Congress will have something to say about this, in terms of whether there will be additional support from Congress for a Moonshot-like activity,” he said. “I think it is fair to say, as many have seen, that there is discussion of a ‘21st Century Cures 2.0,’ initiative led by [U.S. Reps.] Fred Upton [R-Michigan] and Diana DeGette [D-Colorado], the same representatives who led the way for the original 21st Century Cures Act.”
Sharpless said regardless of whether this initiative comes to pass, he would like to see a continued focus in cancer research on “investigator-initiated science.”
“What’s been challenging in recent years to the NCI is that there has been a huge influx of applications,” he said. “So, we are most enthusiastic about support from Congress that allows us to continue to fund this investigator-initiated basic science, in addition to efforts like the Moonshot that are focused throughout specific scientific areas.”
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Cancer Moonshot Seminar Series. Blue Ribbon Panel Report anniversary: Reflections, progress and potential of the Cancer Moonshot. Presented Sept. 9, 2021.
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