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WASHINGTON — The latest phase of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative leaves open a few questions on how Congress might move forward with the program.

Since its launch in 2016, the federally funded cancer moonshot program has spurred thousands of scientific publications, 49 clinical trials, and more than 30 patent filings, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service, the nonpartisan research arm of Congress.

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The next phase of the cancer moonshot, according to Biden and his administration, is meant to emphasize cancer screening, prevention, and equitable treatment. The updated plan also seeks to speed progress on treatments for rare and childhood cancers, and it calls for supporting patients, survivors, and caregivers. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a new agency tasked with taking big risks on biomedical and health technology, is also committing $240 million to cancer-related research and investing in new data-sharing platforms and a nationwide network for clinical trials.

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