New Delhi: Among the key initiatives that will be announced on the sidelines of the Quad summit during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to the US is collaboration between the four member countries of the group on the Cancer Moonshot programme.
Briefing the media here on Thursday ahead of PM Modi’s departure, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the Cancer Moonshot event that will be held on the sidelines of the Quad summit will be a major priority. US President Joe Biden will be hosting this year’s Quad summit in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21.
Describing the Cancer Moonshot event as a milestone event, Misri said that "the Quad aims to implement innovative strategies to prevent, detect, treat, and alleviate the impact of cancer on patients and their families". "And to begin with, we intend to collaborate in reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
He further stated that there will be, in fact, a separate joint factsheet on Cancer Moonshot. "It goes to a human level, a very real human level in the otherwise geopolitically dominated Quad universe," the Foreign Secretary said.
What is the Cancer Moonshot programme?
The Cancer Moonshot programme was launched to accelerate scientific discovery in cancer research, foster greater collaboration, and improve the sharing of cancer data. By focusing on areas of cancer research that are most likely to benefit the American people as a result of new investment, the Cancer Moonshot has brought together a large community of patients, advocates, researchers, and clinicians who are dedicated to advancing research to end cancer as we know it.
First announced by then President Barack Obama during his final State of the Union address in January 2016, Cancer Moonshot has garnered significant attention and funding to advance cancer research. The initiative is led by Biden, who was Vice President at the time, and it was personal to him, as his son Beau Biden had passed away from brain cancer in 2015.
What are the goals of Cancer Moonshot?
The Cancer Moonshot effort, initially funded through the 21st Century Cures Act passed in 2016, had the ambitious goal of making a decade's worth of progress in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in just five years.
Former President Obama appointed then Vice President Biden to chair the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force charged with producing a detailed set of findings and recommendation as under:
- Accelerate the understanding of cancer and its prevention, early detection, treatment, and cure
- Improve patient access and care
- Support greater access to new research, data, and computational capabilities
- Encourage development of cancer treatments
- Identify and address any unnecessary regulatory barriers and consider ways to expedite administrative reforms
- Ensure optimal investment of federal resources
- Identify opportunities to develop public–private partnerships and increase coordination of the federal government's efforts with the private sector, as appropriate
To ensure that the Cancer Moonshot’s goals and approaches are grounded in the best science, former President Obama directed the Cancer Moonshot Task Force to consult with external experts, including the presidentially appointed National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB). A Blue Ribbon Panel of experts was established as a working group of the NCAB to assist the board in providing this advice.
The Blue Ribbon Panel is composed of leading experts from a broad range of scientific areas, including biology, immunology, genomics, diagnostics, bioinformatics, and cancer prevention and treatment. Members also include investigators with expertise in clinical trials and cancer health disparities, as well as representatives of cancer advocacy groups and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
According to the website of the US' National Cancer Institute, since the Cancer Moonshot was launched in 2016, "remarkable progress and notable scientific accomplishments have been made". To date, NCI has supported over 70 programmes and consortia and more than 250 research projects.
How does India stand to gain from the Cancer Moonshot programme?
Non-communicable diseases, including cancer, account for about 63 percent of all deaths in India. Cancer cases in India are estimated to increase by nearly 13 percent in 2025, compared to 2020. In June 2023, President Biden and Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed the strong health partnership between the US and India by announcing new commitments to accelerate the fight against cancer, including convening a US-India Cancer Dialogue to advance the prevention, early detection, and treatment of cancer.
Then, in August this year, the US Embassy in New Delhi facilitated the first ever US-India Cancer Moonshot Dialogue at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, and hosted by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT). The dialogue focused attention on cancer, strengthening US-India biomedical research cooperation, and jointly developing solutions to improve the health and well-being of the global community. Participants included the US delegation, key Government of India officials, leadership from the American and Indian private sectors, NGOs and patient advocacy groups that work in cancer-related fields, faculty members from various Indian government institutions and young researchers from government universities.
“This exchange embodies the strength of the bond between our two great nations, built on a foundation of shared values, mutual respect, and a common vision for a healthier future; it’s a tangible way to show how the United States and India are moving our partnership forward for health,” US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said while addressing the event.
According to a statement issued by the US Embassy, the US-India Cancer Moonshot Dialogue will accelerate cooperation and collaboration around Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled innovation for cancer care, novel therapeutics (vaccines, immunotherapy, and other biological), cost effective equitable cancer therapy and implementation science, cancer genomics and precision medicine, priorities, regulatory landscape and capacity building for cancer clinical trials, holistic survivorship care and integrative approach to cancer management, and understanding complementary and alternative medicines.
By being a part of the Cancer Moonshot programme that has already played a pivotal role in advancing cancer research and fostering greater collaboration across disciplines, India stands to gain in more ways than one.
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