President Obama on Tuesday night announced a major new investment in a data-driven medical field that he said could bring the cures to diseases like cancer and diabetes.

“I want the country that eliminated polio and mapped the human genome to lead a new era of medicine – one that delivers the right treatment at the right time,” Obama declared, according to prepared remarks.

The approach to genetics and medical data — known as “precision medicine” — has already made major headway fighting diseases like cystic fibrosis, Obama said.

The new precision medicine initiative is among many new projects announced in the State of the Union. For the first time this year, the president announced nearly all others in speeches around the country leading up to his annual address.