In February 2013, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will begin a research program that will initially focus on eight types of cancer. The Moon Shots Program will create six teams of scientists and clinicians to work on projects to develop tests, drugs and policies. Unlike the past, the teams will share infrastructure among platforms. Platforms are Adaptive Learning in Genomic Medicine to integrate clinical data and genomic research; Big Data; Cancer Control and Prevention; the Center for Co-Clinical Trials, the Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy and Patient Omics for personalized medicine research; Clinical Genomics to store and analyze tumor samples; Diagnostics Development; Early Detection; the Institute for Applied Cancer Science for targeted drugs; Massive Data Analytics; and the Translational Research Continuum to boost the efficiency of clinical trials and treatments. The Program could cost $3 billion in its first decade, which would be in addition to MD Anderson’s $700 million annual budget for cancer research.

Source: MD Anderson Cancer Center