With the markets rallying, right now is the perfect time to think about stocks that could offer your portfolio a good deal of growth. These players may not soar overnight, but thanks to their innovative technologies, they could become future winners -- and significantly boost your portfolio over time.
Two great examples in the area of biotech are CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP 0.34%) and Ginkgo Bioworks (DNA 10.60%). Both are in the early days of their growth stories and trade at reasonable valuations today, offering you an opportunity to buy at bargain prices and win in the long run.
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1. CRISPR Therapeutics
CRISPR Therapeutics recently scored a major win when it earned the world's first regulatory authorization for a CRISPR-based gene-editing treatment. The U.K.'s health regulator gave the nod to exa-cel for the treatment of two blood disorders: sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. Now, the company and its partner, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, are waiting for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decisions, which are expected this month for sickle cell and in March for beta-thalassemia.
The therapy, which will be marketed under the name Casgevy, represents a billion-dollar opportunity for CRISPR Therapeutics, and it also is proof this biotech's technology works -- and may go on to be used in cures for other illnesses. I use the word "cure" because CRISPR gene editing replaces the faulty genes responsible for diseases with normal ones, which (when it works as hoped) results in a functional cure. These treatments can therefore be expected to enjoy significant demand -- and lead to many blockbuster opportunities for the company.
Today, CRISPR Therapeutics is working on additional gene-editing therapy candidates, including its immuno-oncology candidate, CTX-110. This investigational treatment is being tested in a phase 2 study that could support a regulatory submission -- representing another possible revenue opportunity in the not-too-distant future if all goes well in late-stage trials.
Now, let's consider CRISPR Therapeutics' share price. The biotech stock has risen more than 70% this year, but it's important to take a look at that in the context of its earlier share price performance. CRISPR Therapeutics actually traded at much higher levels a couple of years ago, when there was much less certainty about its future than we have today.
Even if CRISPR Therapeutics doesn't return to the high that it set in early 2021, there's still plenty of room for this innovator to run, and it could offer major returns to investors over time.
2. Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks has scaled up the process of engineering organisms that can be used in a variety of industries, from agriculture to pharmaceuticals. Through the company's foundry, engineers can build and test thousands of designs, and then select the best ones for use in various projects.
Dozens of customers have already signed on to use its technology, from big pharma companies to small start-ups. Most recently, Pfizer announced a collaboration with Ginkgo to advance its development of RNA molecules that may lead to treatments. That deal could be worth as much as $331 million for Ginkgo.
Pharma represents a particularly interesting opportunity for the company for two reasons. First, it's clear that Ginkgo's technology offers drug companies a way to make their discovery work faster and more efficient. Second, the growth rate of Gingko's active programs shows that pharma companies are realizing this. Pharma active programs increased 50% year over year in the third quarter. And overall active programs climbed 36%.
Ginkgo also has a biosecurity program that it aims to turn into a recurrent revenue platform, focusing on long-term infrastructure. The company is investing in artificial intelligence (AI), which could become a key part of a winning business -- for example, Ginkgo will use AI in areas such as epidemic forecasting.
This organism and biosecurity specialist isn't yet profitable, but is confident that its cash position of more than $1 billion will help it along the path to profitability.
As for the share price, Ginkgo has dropped by about 14% this year and trades for less than $2. It's also down by 90% from its 2021 peak. Investing in Ginkgo carries some risk, as the company is still in the early stages of its story, but if you can accept that, now looks like a great time to bet on a stock that could deliver enormous growth over time.
