The announcement of a cancer initiative was one of the biggest moments of President Obama’s final State of the Union address.

The President’s effort to eventually cure cancer will be led by Vice President Joe Biden, who recently lost his son Beau to the disease.

“Last year, Vice President Biden said that with a new moonshot, America can cure cancer,” the President stated. “Last month, he worked with this Congress to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources that they’ve had in over a decade. So tonight, I’m announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he’s gone to the mat for all of us on so many issues over the past 40 years, I’m putting Joe in charge of Mission Control. For the loved ones we’ve all lost, for the families that we can still save, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.”

This morning, Republican Congressman Pat Meehan responded to the initiative with great enthusiasm. In fact, Meehan’s guest last night was Madeline Bell, the President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is one of the world’s great hospitals and every day, doctors and scientists conduct cutting-edge research into conditions that affect millions of American children,” Congressman Meehan said. “I asked Madeline Bell to join me in the House chamber last night to highlight the importance of supporting this research and I welcome last night’s announcement. By knocking down the ‘silos’ restricting the flow of research data and expanding access to clinical trials, we can accelerate our progress toward finding a cure and help more patients utilize groundbreaking treatments.”

“I’m pleased the Vice President will be kicking off this project in Philadelphia,” Rep. Meehan continued. “It’s an acknowledgement of the tremendous work being done at the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions in southeastern Pennsylvania. It’s an opportunity for our region to play a central role in a project that could make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans.”

Congressman Meehan has represented the 7th district since 2011.