Presidential Election 2020: Joe Biden Promises To 'Cure Cancer' If Elected

Democratic presidential front runner Joe Biden's vow to “cure cancer” as U.S. president sheds light on the unending national fight against cancer. It also shows the former vice president remains focused on his personal mission of helping the medical community win this fight.

Speaking at a Democrat campaign rally in Ottumwa, Ohio on Monday, Biden said he knows full well the pain one faces with the death of a family member to cancer. Biden’s son, Beau, succumbed to brain cancer in 2015.

"I know how you feel,” said Biden to folks at the rally that lost loved ones to cancer.

"I promise you if I'm elected president, you're going to see the single most important thing that changes America, we're gonna cure cancer," declared Biden.

His remarks were greeted with loud applause.

Beau Biden, the presidentiable's elder son from his first marriage, was only 46 years old when he passed on Jan. 6, 2015. His mother, Neilia, and sister, Naomi, were killed in a car crash that also seriously injured him and his brother, Hunter.

Beau Biden was the Attorney General of Delaware when he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013. He died two years later.

After his death, his grieving father made a speech at the Rose Garden in October 2015 promising a "moonshot" to cure cancer. Joe Biden’s remark led to the original Cancer MoonShot 2020 initiative.

In January 2016, during his final State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called on Biden to help make America “the country that cures cancer once and for all.” This led to Biden leading the "Cancer MoonShot" initiative during the Obama administration in a renewed effort to find a cure for cancer. Biden also launched the Biden Cancer Initiative after leaving office in 2016.

The Biden Cancer Initiative’s goal is to “develop and drive implementation of solutions to accelerate progress in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, research, and care, and to reduce disparities in cancer outcomes.”

Biden relinquished his role in the organization shortly after announcing his White House bid.

The Cancer MoonShot 2020 initiative is a multi-year, $1 billion effort to cure cancer in all its various forms, including rare forms of the disease. It places a huge focus on targeted immunotherapy that allows for tailoring treatment to each patient’s unique case.

Cancer MoonShot continues to this day and has partnered with government institutions such as the National Institutes of Health and tech firms like Amazon and Microsoft to attain its goals.

Statistics show that up to half of American men and one third of all American women will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetimes.