Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, is doubling down on biologics, seeing unprecedented potential at the intersection of artificial intelligence, genetic sequencing, and gene editing technologies.

What Happened: Wood’s enthusiasm centers on what she describes as a transformative convergence of technologies that could revolutionize medical treatment and drug discovery.

Speaking candidly about the sector, Wood highlighted the remarkable progress in genetic therapies, particularly in companies like Crispr Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP), Intellia Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:NTLA), and Beam Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:BEAM).

Her most striking example involves Crispr Therapeutics’ recent breakthrough in sickle cell disease treatment. Wood noted, referencing how patients who previously required 12 to 20 annual blood transfusions might now be free from such interventions.

The strategy extends beyond treatment breakthroughs to drug development itself. Wood points to companies like Recursion Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:RXRX) as leveraging artificial intelligence to dramatically reduce clinical trial failure rates and accelerate drug development timelines.

However, the market performance of these innovative companies tells a more nuanced story. Year-to-date, the stocks have experienced significant volatility: Crispr Therapeutics is down 25.36%, Intellia Therapeutics has dropped 52.21%, Beam Therapeutics declined 3.04%, and Recursion Pharmaceuticals fell 9.80%, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

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Why It Matters: ARK’s commitment to this sector is evident through its Genomic Revolution ETF (BATS:ARKG), which manages net assets of $1.179 billion. The fund’s performance reflects the sector’s volatility, with annual returns ranging from a high of 180.50% in 2020 to a low of -53.94% in 2022.

The ETF’s current top holdings underscore Wood’s strategic focus on innovative biological technologies. Twist Bioscience Corp (NASDAQ:TWST) leads the portfolio at 8.90%, followed by Crispr Therapeutics at 7.88% and Recursion Pharmaceuticals at 6.17%. Other significant investments include CareDx Inc (NASDAQ:CDNA), Veracyte Inc (NASDAQ:VCYT), and Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp (NASDAQ:ADPT), representing a diversified approach to genomic and biological innovation.

Wood’s vision suggests a potential $400 billion market opportunity in biologics over the next five years, driven by the unprecedented convergence of AI, sequencing technologies, and gene editing.

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Image via Ark Invest

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.