[Discoveries like these inhibitors are what will ultimately make it possible to cure cases of cancer that might have been hopeless just a few short years ago. We know that there’s no silver bullet, and no one expects it to happen overnight. But the truth is that because of exciting advances in science and technology over the last 10 years, we are far closer to major breakthroughs than many people realize.]
By Michael R. Bloomberg* &
Joe Biden*
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Within Sight.
Photographer: Dan Kitwood/getty
images
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In President Barack Obama’s final State of
the Union address, he compared the effort required to eradicate cancer to a
“moonshot,” summoning the American ingenuity and scientific pursuits that sent
humankind to the moon. We believe that it’s time for a full and complete
national commitment to rid the world of this disease, because the truth is that
ending cancer as we know it is finally within our grasp.
A key element of the cancer moonshot is to
incentivize more cooperation between the government and the private sector. We
recognize that while the U.S. government has tremendous resources at its
disposal, we also know a lot of our best expertise exists outside the
government, within the private medical and research community. There is little
doubt that this will be the site of the next big breakthroughs in cancer
treatment. We know it because we’ve seen it at the world’s best cancer research
centers across America, led by the world’s greatest cancer doctors, researchers
and philanthropists -- many of whom we’ve met with over the last few months.
To that end, and in support of the cancer
moonshot, we are thrilled that Johns Hopkins University will create the
Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, thanks to private grants
of $125 million. This new institute will build on the school’s groundbreaking
work in immunotherapy, one of the most promising avenues of research today.
Here’s why: Cancer involves the uncontrolled
growth of our cells. Cancer cells co-opt the processes of normal cells, using
them to grow, spread and cloak themselves from detection by the immune system.
Immunotherapy seeks to redirect patients’ highly individual immune systems to
better detect and destroy cancer cells.
Led by Dr. Drew Pardoll and funded in
partnership with the philanthropist Sidney Kimmel, the institute will support
the same scientists who performed some of the first clinical trials of
immunotherapy agents known as checkpoint blockade inhibitors. These agents
interfere with molecules that shield tumor cells from the body’s immune system.
In fact, two of these inhibitors have already been approved by the FDA for use
against lung cancer and melanoma, and show promise across almost every cancer.
Discoveries like these inhibitors are what
will ultimately make it possible to cure cases of cancer that might have been
hopeless just a few short years ago. We know that there’s no silver bullet, and
no one expects it to happen overnight. But the truth is that because of
exciting advances in science and technology over the last 10 years, we are far
closer to major breakthroughs than many people realize.
With the right partnerships, we can bolster
the incredible work that is already occurring among immunologists, geneticists
and other scientists with new innovations from the technology sector. Recently,
an entire industry has sprung up with the power to process medical and
scientific information on a massive scale. This computing power is already
allowing researchers to accelerate their progress like never before. By
aggregating big data from cancer studies in one central location that’s
accessible to scientists, researchers and physicians, we can further speed up
advances in research.
With the cancer moonshot and public-private
partnerships, we are not trying to make incremental change. We’re looking to
make quantum leaps. Our goal is to make a decade’s worth of medical advances in
the next five years. And with new institutions working together and new
resources dedicated to the problem, we know we can finally gain the upper hand
on a disease that has already robbed the world of far too much talent and love.
The original mission to the moon was a
government-led, -directed and -funded initiative. The cancer moonshot will be a
true partnership between government, the private sector, academia and the
philanthropic community. It has the potential to save millions of lives.
It could prove to be a model for how
public-private partnerships can overcome even the most difficult challenges.
And it could turn cancer from a death sentence into a chronic, manageable
disease -- or in many cases, a curable one -- for millions of people around the
world.
To contact the editor responsible for this
story:
David Shipley at davidshipley@bloomberg.net
* Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City
* Joe Biden is the vice president of the United States