First Step by Obama in a Cancer ‘Moonshot’ NY Times

President Obama arriving at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday. Credit Zach Gibson/The New York Times

President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum on Thursday creating a White House task force on cancer, the first step in what Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has called a “moonshot” to cure the disease, administration officials said.The president will appoint Mr. Biden to lead the panel, which will include representatives from at least 13 government agencies. The group’s first meeting will be on Monday, officials said.
The emotional power behind the push will come from Mr. Biden, whose son Beau died last year after a battle with brain cancer. This month in his final State of the Union address, Mr. Obama cited Mr. Biden’s “moonshot” comment, saying that “I’m putting Joe in charge of mission control.”
President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum on Thursday creating a White House task force on cancer, the first step in what Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has called a “moonshot” to cure the disease, administration officials said.

The president will appoint Mr. Biden to lead the panel, which will include representatives from at least 13 government agencies. The group’s first meeting will be on Monday, officials said.
The emotional power behind the push will come from Mr. Biden, whose son Beau died last year after a battle with brain cancer. This month in his final State of the Union address, Mr. Obama cited Mr. Biden’s “moonshot” comment, saying that “I’m putting Joe in charge of mission control.”
The group will also seek to “break down silos” among scientists to encourage more cooperation, officials said.
In addition to Mr. Biden, the group will include members from the Departments of Defense, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Energy, and Veterans Affairs. Members will also represent the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation, among others.