Cancer

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his aides are leading the White House push to cure cancer, but it's officials in federal agencies who will dole out research dollars.  

In the just over a month since President Barack Obama announced the cancer “moonshot” effort during his final State of the Union address, Biden has been its public face. In the research committee, it's widely believed that his involvement — and that of his successor — do give the program a shot at achieving what previous tries at a government-led quest to cure cancer did not.  

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is pledging to remain engaged in his “moonshot” effort to cure cancer after he leaves office -- but insiders say it’s too early to say whether he will focus exclusively on the disease.  

Biden took his high-profile initiative on the road last week, telling an audience of oncologists, public health officials, nurses and patient groups at Duke University that fighting cancer will be a “major component of what I do for the rest of my life.”  

DURHAM, N.C. -- Phyllis Coley spoke softly as she talked about a good friend who died of cancer in January. But her voice grew louder and more forceful when she acknowledged worries that Washington politics could derail Vice President Joseph R. Biden’s quest for a cure.