WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden is bringing his “moonshot” to cure cancer to the Vatican.
Biden will travel to Vatican City on April 28 for an international conference on breakthroughs in regenerative medicine. The vice president’s office says he’ll deliver a speech about his efforts to accelerate cancer research.
The Pontifical Council for Culture and the Stem for Life Foundation are hosting the conference, bringing together doctors, researchers, patients and bioethicists.
Pope Francis plans to attend part of the conference. It’s unclear whether Biden will meet privately with the pope. Biden, a Roman Catholic, has met with the pope on other occasions.
The visit comes as Biden mounts a final-year push to double the rate of progress toward a cancer cure. The Obama administration has asked Congress for $1 billion.