美國前副總統喬·拜登成立了一家新的非營利組織，名為“拜登抗癌行動”，成員包括知名癌癥專家大衛·阿古斯博士、前美國國家經濟委員會主任杰夫·齊恩茨等。上周四上午多位成員在《財富》聯合發表了一篇文章，闡述了新機構的使命。他們寫道：“拜登抗癌行動希望解決拖延抗癌行動的機制和機構性問題，為現有數十家抗癌基金會的工作提供補充并加快進程，而非做同質化努力?！?

這是拜登抗癌戰役的最新進展。以下簡要介紹了他為何對抗癌滿腔熱情，為何發起抗癌行動，以及具體目標。

早年環保工作

拜登對抗癌癥的源頭始于從政初期。1972年當選參議員以后，拜登主張減少有害氣體排放，積極支持環保立法和監管。擔任參議員多年，他一直堅持不懈，參與支持多個環保法案，包括監測石油與天然氣煙囪排放物的汞含量，并要求美國環保署（EPA）評估風險。有大量證據證明，空氣質量等環境因素會提高罹患癌癥的風險。

長子患癌

2013年，拜登的長子、前特拉華州首席檢察官博·拜登確診患腦癌，拜登由此體會到癌癥帶來的切膚之痛。兩年后博去世，年僅46歲。因喪子之痛，拜登決定放棄競選2016年美國民主黨總統候選人。

抗癌大計

博·拜登去世后不久，時任總統巴拉克·奧巴馬讓拜登指揮全國的抗癌行動。（奧巴馬本人曾呼吁，讓美國成為第一個治愈癌癥的國家。）任內發布的最后一份國情咨文中，奧巴馬宣布成立抗癌“登月計劃”團隊，任命拜登為負責人。

“去年，副總統拜登說要搞一個新的登月計劃，即推動美國治愈癌癥?！比ツ?月奧巴馬在國情咨文講話中說。他提到了拜登曾協助美國國立衛生研究院（NIH）籌措資金。他表示，“今晚，我宣布啟動新的全國行動進一步為理想努力。過去四十年里，拜登在很多事情上做了很多先期努力，所以我任命拜登負責總體指揮。為了失去的愛人，為了等待挽救的家庭，讓我們共同努力，讓美國成為徹底治愈癌癥的國家吧。”

基因組數據共享

拜登很快投身新的登月計劃，邀請美國醫療領域官員、癌癥研究機構、醫藥公司等多個領域的相關人士參加一系列會議和戰略會晤。2016年6月，他在美國臨床腫瘤學會（ASCO）年會上發表了主旨演講，該會議是全球癌癥研究領域規模最大的，與會者超過3萬人。

講話中拜登宣布設立新的聯邦政府數據庫“基因組數據共享計劃”，隸屬國家癌癥研究所（NCI）。該機構的目的是什么？主要是協助潛心研究的人員和機構分享數據，促進癌癥治療。“從現在起，凡是NCI資助的試驗，所有信息都必須提交至數據庫，”拜登說，“想象一下所有研究人員通力合作的場景?！?

去年秋天，美國衛生及公共服務部（HHS）與NIH確定了一些新的法規，規定政府資助的研究者如果沒能及時分享臨床試驗研究數據，將面臨經濟處罰。

拜登抗癌行動

卸下副總統之位后，拜登繼續致力于消除攻克癌癥的結構性障礙，力度甚至較在任時加倍。今年3月，拜登出席了在德州奧斯汀舉行的音樂、科技與藝術節“西南偏南”（SXSW）。拜登告訴現場聽眾，他曾轉告奧巴馬總統，他“原本很樂意成為領導人們戰勝癌癥的總統?！?

今年5月舉行的第二屆《財富》年度頭腦風暴健康大會上，拜登發表了主旨演講。他表示，拜登抗癌行動將成為下一個登月計劃，他將繼續解決數據孤島，藥品監管流程緩慢，以及抗癌藥成本高等問題。（財富中文網）

譯者：Pessy

審校：夏林

A History of Joe Biden’s War on Cancer

Former Vice President Joe Biden has launched a new nonprofit called the Biden Cancer Initiative. Several of Biden's compatriots in that organization, including renowned cancer specialist Dr. David Agus and former National Economic Council director Jeff Zients, have a piece up on Fortune this morning describing its mission. "The Biden Cancer Initiative will complement and accelerate, not duplicate, the work of the scores of cancer foundations that exist today by addressing the institutional and structural issues that slow down progress in fighting all forms of cancer," they write.

This is the latest salvo in the Vice President's war on cancer. Here's a brief history of what led to his passion for the issue, and the initiatives and goals he's taken on in the fight.

Early environmental work

Biden's history with combating cancer arguably began in the nascent years of his career. After being elected to the Senate in 1972, Biden became a major proponent of environmental protection legislation and regulations to cut harmful emissions. He continued those efforts throughout his expansive career in the Senate, signing on to legislation to include oil and gas smokestacks emissions in mercury regulations and requiring Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) risk assessments. There is significant evidence that environmental factors, including air quality, can increase cancer risks.

Beau Biden's cancer

The former vice president's involvement with cancer became personal when his late son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013. Two years later, the younger Biden died at the age of 46, eventually prompting his father's decision not to run for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president.

The Cancer Moonshot

Soon after the Beau Biden tragedy, then-President Barack Obama put Biden into the forefront of a national cancer fight. (Obama himself had previously called for making America the country that finds a cure for cancer.) During his final State of the Union address, Obama announced a National Cancer Moonshot task force and appointed Biden to head it.

"Last year, Vice President Biden said that with a new moonshot, America can cure cancer," said Obama during his speech last January, adding that Biden previously worked to boost funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). "Tonight, I’m announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he’s gone to the mat for all of us, on so many issues over the past forty years, I’m putting Joe in charge of Mission Control. For the loved ones we’ve all lost, for the family we can still save, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all."

A Genomic Data Commons

Biden quickly got to work on the initiative, setting up meetings and strategy sessions with a variety of stakeholders including U.S. health officials, cancer research institutes, drug companies, and others. In June 2016, he delivered the keynote speech at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) annual meeting—the largest cancer conference in the world with more than 30,000 attendees.

In that address, Biden announced a new federal Genomic Data Commons that would be housed under the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Its purpose? To get reticent researchers and institutions to share their data and hasten cures. "All information from trials funded by NCI from this point on will have to be submitted to the database," said Biden. "Imagine if you all worked together."

Last fall, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and NIH finalized new rules that would cost government-funded researchers a financial penalty if they fail to post their clinical trial researchers in a timely manner.

The Biden Cancer Initiative

After leaving the White House, Biden has continued—and even doubled down on—his dedication to fighting the structural barriers to finding cancer cures. During an appearance at the South By Southwest (SXSW) music, technology, and arts festival in Austin, Texas in March, Biden told the audience that he had relayed to President Obama that he "would have loved to have been the president who presided over the end of cancer as we know it."

In May, Biden was the keynote speaker at Fortune's second annual Brainstorm Health conference. There, he stated that the Biden Cancer Initiative would be the next iteration of the Moonshot, and that he would continue to tackle issues like data silos, slow drug regulatory pathways, and the high cost of cancer drugs through the organization.