What is James Watson's quote? How is this significant?

"The National Cancer Institute, which has overseen American efforts on researching and combating cancers since 1971, should take on an ambitious new goal for the next decade: the development of new drugs that will provide lifelong cures for many, if not all, major cancers. Beating cancer now is a realistic ambition because, at long last, we largely know its true genetic and chemical characteristics." This is significant because it shows how positive the leaders in cancer research felt about their work and the chances of finding a cure for all cancer.