What kinds of research should be included in the $1 billion "moonshot" proposal to cure cancer? Since U.S. President Barack Obama announced the idea in his last State of the Union address, Vice President Joe Biden, who is heading the effort, has talked of getting more patients enrolled in clinical trials and finding more efficient ways of sharing data. But what about less obvious steps, such as a recent experiment on zebra fish with green glowing skin tumors?
When it comes to cancer research, weird is good. Tackling cancer requires unconventional ideas because cancer is an unconventional enemy.
Cancer is less a disease than a class of diseases. It's a broad description of the mysterious forces that make our own cells turn unpredictably against us. Unlike the quest to eradicate smallpox or to send astronauts to the moon, the effort to cure cancer doesn't have a clear path forward. There is no universal cure or prevention strategy.