Interest in longevity strains is growing as the U.S. population is aging faster than ever before: By 2030, one in five Americans will be elderly, up from one in 20 100 years ago.
As a result, CRISPR-based therapies are being developed to target age-related genomic changes, leading organizations are exploring ways to repair aging DNA, and companies are using artificial intelligence to find molecules that can stop or slow aging.
These discoveries and others have led the FDA and other agencies to classify aging as a treatable disease, a change that could speed up the approval of anti-aging drugs.
The global anti-aging market is worth approximately $62 billion in 2021 and is projected to be worth approximately $93 billion by 2027.
With the population over 60 years old set to rise to 2.1 billion by 2025, longevity stocks are expected to thrive as advances in biotechnology, such as artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery, provide fast-acting anti-aging remedies. That means now is the time to look at three longevity stocks poised to rise by 50% or more.
Denali Therapeutics (DNLI)
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Denali Therapeutics (Nasdaq:DNLI) is actively expanding its portfolio of therapeutics developed to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, particularly for the treatment of neurodegenerative and lysosomal storage diseases.
DNL126 is an investigational drug for MPS IIIA (commonly known as Sanfilippo syndrome type A) that crosses the blood-brain barrier. Denali is testing its safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy in Phase 1/2. Recruitment is ongoing to generate biomarker proof-of-concept by 2024.
Additionally, tividenofusp alfa, targeting MPS II (Hunter syndrome), aims to transport iduronate 2-sulfatase across the blood-brain barrier. The FDA has classified it as a Fast Track and the European Medicines Agency as a Priority Medicine. Denali is recruiting subjects for its Phase 2/3 Compass trial in various regions, including Europe, South America, and North America.
DNL343 targets ALS by regulating the integrated stress response pathway that is overactive in ALS and leads to neuronal death. Denali has just completed enrollment in its key stages of development as part of the HEALEY ALS platform trial.
Denali is also working on a number of preclinical projects employing its delivery vehicle technology targeting common neurodegenerative and lysosomal storage diseases, and IND-enabling studies highlight efforts to target Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases using its OTV and ATV platforms.
Denali Therapeutics is rated a “Strong Buy.” The average consensus price for DNLI is set at $42.71, suggesting an upside potential of 102% from the recent closing price of $21.14.
GERN
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Known for groundbreaking research into telomerase inhibition for hematological malignancies Geron Corporation (Nasdaq:Gern) is also conducting anti-aging research, making it a promising candidate among longevity strains that should not be overlooked. Senescent cells are commonly called “zombie cells” and secrete harmful compounds that kill surrounding healthy cells, causing aging and many age-related diseases. The company is focusing on treating senescent cells.
Geron’s lead drug, imatelstat, is a novel telomerase inhibitor that blocks the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer stem and progenitor cells in myeloid blood cancers. Imatelstat is currently being reviewed by the FDA as a treatment for transfusion-dependent anemia in patients with low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes. So far, the results have been encouraging. Geron is also investigating whether imatelstat can be used to treat other conditions associated with aging, such as myelofibrosis.
EU authorities are also reviewing its marketing authorization application. In the IMerge Phase 3 trial, imetelstat is being tested in intermediate-risk 2 or high-risk MF and MDS.
Geron is researching anti-aging through telomerase inhibition. The company is researching telomerase inhibitors to slow cellular aging and treat age-related diseases, as well as developing new anti-aging drugs. Geron uses AI and machine learning to find small compounds that destroy these cells.
GERN has a “Strong Buy” rating and an average target price of $7.07, suggesting 56% upside potential from $4.53.
Recursion Pharmaceuticals (RXRX)
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Recursion Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:RXRX(Helix Genomics) has signed a multi-year Helix Genomics agreement. The relationship will enable Recursion to access large-scale clinical genomic data using AI models to advance drug development and patient stratification. This is intended to accelerate the development of precision medicines for a number of diseases, including anti-aging therapies.
On Download Day, Recursion updated its clinical pipeline, with the company expecting results from Phase 2 clinical trials of multiple drugs within 18 months.
Additionally, the company has advanced ADME and gene mapping technologies, increasing the success rate of predicting compound outcomes in certain tests to 90%. These innovations will make it easier to manufacture anti-aging drugs.
For recursion, NVIDIA (Nasdaq:NVDA) to power research using AI and supercomputing. RXRX is using Nvidia’s DGX-powered BioHive-2 supercomputer to process vast amounts of biological data. Nvidia’s $50 million investment in Recursion will enable AI systems to find drug candidates faster and more accurately.
Recursion’s $1.5 Billion Update Bayer (OTCMKTS:BaileyThe deal covers seven cancer projects, which will use Recursion’s drug discovery platform, powered by Nvidia’s BioHive-1 supercomputer, to explore complex biological and chemical interactions to develop cancer drugs. Bayer’s commitment to Recursion’s cancer drugs could lead to an exclusive licensing agreement.
Finally, Recursion has a price target of $14 over the next 12 months, which would represent a significant increase of over 91% from the current price of $7.32.
On the date of publication, the editor in charge did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.
As of the publication date of this article, Faizan Farook did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author, which is subject to InvestorPlace.com’s copyright. Publication Guidelines.
