V.P. Joe Biden Points Utah Data Trove In Push To Cure Cancer

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Vice President Joe Biden says Utah has a vast database of genetic and medical information that's an example of how big data is powering new advances in cancer research.

Biden spoke during a visit to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City on Friday as part of the White House's cancer "moonshot," an effort to double the rate of progress toward curing cancer.

Biden says that emulating Utah's 8 million-person database elsewhere in the country could let researchers detect cancer earlier by tracing genetic causes.

Working toward a cure for cancer is personal for Biden, whose 46-year-old son died from brain cancer in May.

During his Utah visit, Biden also met with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and received a copy of his family history.

(Copyright 2016 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)