Biden vowed his administration would cure cancer if he defeats incumbent President Donald Trump in 2020

Joe Biden Says He's Going to 'Cure Cancer' If Elected

Joe Biden is on a mission to help cure cancer.

While speaking to supports in Ottumwa, Iowa on Tuesday, the former vice president vowed that his administration would work to cure cancer if he defeats President Donald Trump in the upcoming 2020 election.

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“I’ve worked so hard in my career, that I promise you, if I’m elected president you’re gonna see single most important thing that changes America, we’re gonna cure cancer,” Biden told the crowd in video obtained by the Washington Examiner.

While working in the Obama administration, Biden was responsible for the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative, which “accelerate(s) cancer research aims to make more therapies available to more patients, while also improving our ability to prevent cancer and detect it at an early stage,” according to the organization’s website.

Image zoom Joe Biden Jim Graham/Redux

Biden announced the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative during former President Obama’s final State of the Union address back in 2016.

Since his time as vice president in the Oval Office, Biden has continued his efforts into cancer research, overseeing the Biden Cancer Initiative, which “is a response to the lack of a cohesive, comprehensive and timely approach to cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, research, and care,” the website explains.

Though the presidential candidate recently stepped down from overseeing the organization upon announcing his 2020 presidential campaign.

Cancer is a dear issue to the former vice president’s heart, as his son, Beau Biden, died in 2015 at the age of 46, after suffering from brain cancer.

Image zoom Beau Biden Mark Wilson/Getty

“When my son was diagnosed with Stage IV glioblastoma, I did what any parent or loved one would do — I tried to learn as much as I could about the disease he was facing,” Biden said in a 2016 interview.

Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, is also a strong advocate for cancer research and funding, with a focus on breast cancer awareness and prevention.

“Over the years, cancer has taken more from Joe and me than we ever could have imagined,” Jill, whose parents also died from cancer, added. “It’s shattered our hearts. It’s stolen our joy.”

And through their experiences with the disease, the pair hopes to bring more awareness and change to the country’s cancer cause.