by Fred Fuld III
Do you want to live forever? Many billionaires want to, or at least want to support the research into improving and extending the lives of people.
Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft (MSFT) created the Allen Institute for Cell Science with $100 million, to develop treatments for diseases related to aging. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2018 from septic shock caused by cancer.
Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal (PYPL), has donated money to the SENS Research Foundation, a longevity organization.
Adam Neumann, former CEO of WeWork, invested in the anti-aging company Life Biosciences.
Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) co-founder Sergey Brin has donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and to the Parkinson’s Institute.
There are many companies involved in longevity and life extension through several different approaches, including medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and senior care facilities.
The anti-aging industry is experiencing tremendous growth. The life extension industry is projected by economists to exceed $1 trillion by 2025.
Biotechnology companies are helping people to live longer than ever. This is due in part to efforts in the field of life extension science, which focuses on developing cutting-edge technologies for extending human life. Three technologies of importance in this field are DNA tests to aid in disease prevention, stem cell research, and gene therapy.
Stem cells allow fetuses to grow complete organs from a single cell. They are used in research to grow transplantable organs. In recent years, scientists have been able to grow replacement body parts and functioning organs. In certain situations, these organs have been successfully transplanted into human patients. Scientists expect that, as this technology continues to advance, the survival rate of patients needing organ transplants will increase dramatically.
One of the challenges in the efforts toward human life extension includes genetic defects that cause fatal diseases. Current research for combating these diseases includes modifying the structure of human DNA through gene therapy. Using gene therapy, scientists can repair damaged DNA by implanting genetic components into human cells.
Some people can inherit a much greater chance of contracting fatal illnesses. With DNA testing, scientists can pinpoint individual genes that cause a high likelihood of developing a specific disease. When locating these harmful genes, fatal diseases can be prevented or treated early enough to prevent death.
Industry experts predict that, at the current rate of advancement, the anti-aging industry may soon surpass that of traditional disease-treating healthcare.
Stocks Targeting Aging
There are several companies working on helping you achieve a greater longevity, which are involved in targeting human aging and degenerative diseases. Here are several that are close to longevity pure plays.
Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (LCTX) develops and markets therapies for the treatment of various degenerative diseases including age-related macular degeneration, acute spinal cord injuries, non-small cell lung cancer, and various other diseases and disorders. The stock has a market cap of $270 million.
Unity Biotechnology, Inc. (UBX), is a biotechnology company involved in the research and development of therapeutics to extend human life and health. The company’s lead drug candidates include treatments for musculoskeletal/ osteoarthritis disease, moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis of the knee, diabetic macular edema, and ophthalmologic diseases. The stock has a market cap of $47 million.
Cohbar (CWBR) is a clinical stage biotechnology company which concentrates on the research and development of mitochondria based therapeutics, an emerging class of drugs for the treatment of chronic and age-related diseases.
CohBars therapeutics offer the potential to treat a broad range of diseases, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, obesity, fibrotic diseases, cancer, acute respiratory distress syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. This Menlo Park, California based company was founded in 2007. The stock has a market cap of $16 million.
AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. (AGE) is an Alameda, California based biotechnology company founded in 2017, with a great stock ticker symbol.The company develops and commercializes novel therapeutics targeting human aging.
The company’s two major proprietary technologies can generate pluripotent stem cell-derived young cells of any type for potential application in a range of degenerative diseases of aging with a high unmet medical need. The company has a longevity platform with a goal of unlocking cellular immortality and regenerative capacity to reverse age-related changes in the body. The stock has a market cap of $27 million.
Adicet Bio, Inc. (ACET), has merged with resTORbio, Inc., a Boston, Massachusetts based company founded in 2016, which is involved in developing innovative medicines that target aging to prevent or treat aging-related diseases.
The company offers gamma delta T cells engineered with chimeric antigen receptors and T cell receptor-like antibodies to enhance selective tumor targeting, facilitate innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune response, and enhance persistence for durable activity in patients. The stock has a market cap of $682 million.
If you are looking for a more diversified way of investing in this arena, there is the ARK Genomic Revolution ETF (ARKG), which invests in companies involved in genomics.
Please be aware that the above mentioned stocks are extremely low cap companies and should be considered very speculative.
Large Companies in Life Extension
There are some large companies involved in longevity and anti-aging.
One company that fits into this category is Edwards Lifesciences (EW), a California based company involved in the production of products to treat heart disease. This $63.7 billion market cap company trades at 41 times trailing earnings.
Boston Scientific (BSX), a $54.5 billion market cap company, makes and markets an extensive array of cardiology products. The stock has a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 73.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) developer and markets treatments for cystic fibrosis. This $71.7 billion market cap stock trades at 30 times earnings.
Terumo Corporation (TRUMY), based in Japan, makes and markets numerous medical products, primarily for transfusion and cardiothoracic surgery. The $29 billion market cap stock has a PE ratio of 39.
CRISPR
One other related narrow industry in this area is CRISPR. If you are not familiar with what this is, you can check out our CRISPR article.
Just be aware that many of the stocks involved in gene therapy, stem cells, and CRISPR are very low cap companies and therefore, very speculative.
Hopefully, one or more of these stocks will provide you with great returns over a long and healthy life. Who knows? You may not live forever, but at least to the age to 200 or 300.
Disclosure : Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written. No recommendations are expressed or implied.
