Everything You Need to Know About Cancer MoonShot 2020

Cancer MoonShot 2020 is a national coalition launched in 2016 to collectively push forward immunotherapy-based cancer treatments. Here’s everything you need to know about this new organization.

What is Cancer MoonShot 2020?

Cancer MoonShot 2020 is a national coalition between large pharmaceutical and biotech companies. That coalition has the goal of pushing forward immunotherapy treatment to cure cancer lead by founder Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong (known as the doctor behind Cancer Moonshot 2020).

It’s a “moonshot” because it plans to solve an enormous problem in a very short period of time.

In an introductory video about the organization, Cancer MoonShot 2020 explains that cancer is a complicated disease that has multiple mutations and multiple clones. That’s why one therapeutic approach rarely gets the job done. Flooding your body with toxins is also “not the answer”, according to Cancer MoonShot 2020. Doctor Soon-Shiong has already been on MSNBC and CNN news outlets and will have more major press releases and announcements in the near future.

Just like we once shot for the moon in a few short years, Cancer MoonShot 2020 plans to launch towards a cancer cure by the start of the next decade. That gives us 4 years to solve one of the world’s deadliest diseases.

How Does Cancer MoonShot 2020 Plan to Cure Cancer?

Cancer MoonShot 2020 claims that there’s never been a better time than now to cure cancer. “We know more about cancer than ever before” because we’ve mapped the human genome.

Using modern medicine, we can identify the unique traits of each individual immune system and all of the proteins that influence your body – and help cancer grow or die. With that in mind, here are the specific ways in which Cancer MoonShot 2020 plans to push forward cancer treatment:

— Provide the nation’s first insurance coverage of “next generation whole genome sequencing and proteomic diagnostic platform” in cancer patients

— Implement next generation sequencing and precision medicine evolving from research to the clinical trial and cancer care setting

— Form a coalition to design, initiate, and complete randomized clinical trials at all stages of cancer in up to 20 tumor types across 20,000 types of patients for multiple phase 1 to 3 trials by year 2020.

— Beneficiaries and patients will undergo next-generation molecular sequencing and “gain access to over 60 novel and approved molecules” to be tested as immunotherapy combinations in 20,000 cancer patients with cancer across all tumor types. This program will be called the QUILT Program.

Which Organizations Are Involved?

Cancer MoonShot 2020 announced its plans on January 11, 2016 in San Francisco. Some of the biggest players involved in this organization include:

— Celgene
— Amgen
— NantWorks
— NantKwest
— Etubics
— Altor Bioscience
— Precision Biologics

Together, these companies launched The National Immunotherpary Coalition (NIC), described as “a historic alliance” that brings together Independence Blue Cross – one of America’s largest health insurance companies – with a focus on accelerating potential cancer treatments.

This has also why President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are expected to be involved and will touch upon it in an upcoming speech about the MoonShot 2020 cancer cure initiative.

What is the QUILT Program?

One of the key aspects of Cancer MoonShot 2020 is the QUILT program.

QUILT stands for Quantitative Integrative Lifelong Trial. It’s designed to target all aspects of the immune system by testing a combination of vaccines, cell-based immunotherapy, metronomic chemotherapy, low dose radiotherapy, and immunomodulators on patients.

The plan is to enroll 20,000 patients in this program by 2020, including patients with up to 20 different types of tumors (like breast, lung, prostate, ovarian, and brain cancer, for example).

What is Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is a unique form of cancer treatment. Instead of flooding your body with toxins, immunotherapy (also known as biologic therapy) is designed to boost the body’s natural defenses against cancer.

The treatment uses materials made by the body or in a laboratory. These materials are specifically designed to enhance the function of the individual’s unique immune system. By examining your immune system and providing targeted support for different aspects of that immune system, immunotherapy promises to be extremely effective.

Although it’s not clear how immunotherapy treats cancer, researchers believe it may work in the following ways:

— Stop or slow the growth of cancer cells

— Prevent cancer from spreading to other parts of the body

— Help the immune system work more efficiently at destroying cancer cells.

Today, there are several different varieties of immunotherapy available, including monoclonal antibodies, non-specific immunotherapies, cancer vaccines, and oncolytic virus therapy.

Cancer MoonShot 2020 Provides Immunotherapy Insurance Coverage Through Independence Blue Cross

Independence Blue Cross is playing a key role in Cancer MoonShot 2020. As part of this initiative, Independence Blue Cross is the first major insurer to offer reimbursement to members for the whole genome sequencing implemented as part of this process.

In other words, patients with other insurance providers will not receive coverage for the treatment. Patients with Independence Blue Cross will receive at least some coverage.

Ultimately, Cancer MoonShot 2020 is America’s most comprehensive cancer collaborative initiative to date. By implementing immunotherapy in patients with cancer, Cancer MoonShot 2020 plans to study how the latest immunotherapy practices can affect the body’s defenses against cancer.

Phase II trials are scheduled to begin within the next 36 months. Stay tuned for more information about Cancer MoonShot 2020 as it moves towards its enormous goals!