In the 2011 film Limitless, Bradley Cooper portrays a man hooked on drugs.
But it isn’t just another movie about an addict.
The protagonist’s drug of choice is NZT-48 — a drug that unlocks the brain’s full capacity.
While “high” on NZT-48, Cooper can…
- Routinely solve the world’s most complex problems.
- Read entire books in minutes.
- Have perfect recall and cross-reference information very quickly.
- Crack the stock market without breaking a sweat.
Eventually, Cooper’s character runs for Senate. Although no such drug presently exists, odds are high that one is coming.
And soon! In fact, thanks to scientific advances in genetic sequencing, deep neural networks and DNA editing technologies, a legit “Brain Boom” is upon us. I’m reporting on this today for a simple reason…
Nothing races higher than a biotechnology stock with a hot new discovery.
Want proof? Sangamo Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:SGMO) (+326%) is the market’s top-gainer in 2017.
Below are a few more such stocks to consider when placing your brain bets.
Musk’s Next Big Idea
Elon Musk is revolutionizing the way we drive, the way we power our homes and soon… the very way we travel.
He’s not afraid to take on the risks to launch us headfirst into the future.
Well, this visionary has just set his sights on the next great frontier: the human brain.
Neuralink Corp is a Musk-backed tech startup pursuing what he calls “neural lace” technology.
Put simply, we’re talking about computers inside the brain.
Musk has already raised nearly $30 million for the company and could sell as much as $100 million in his own stock to fund the endeavor as well.
Now, computer implants for the brain aren’t a new idea.
There are thousands of people living with Parkinson’s disease right now with implants to help control their tremors.
Musk wants to take it to the next level, however — giving people with otherwise healthy brains a cybernetic edge.
Neuralink is still in its very early stages and we likely won’t be able to invest in the company this year.
But based on Musk’s track record in technology… when this lucrative firm does go public, expect mind-blowing gains.
The Coming Age of Genetic Architects
If you really want to improve the human brain, you will have to use genetic engineering.
This is mostly illegal in the West because the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) get very upset at the thought of creating a new not-quite-human species in the laboratory.
However, other world religions such as Hinduism (think of all those goddesses with eight arms) and Confucianism don’t have this problem.
The Cognitive Research Laboratory at BGI Genomics (Shenzhen: 300676.SZ) is actively working on discovering the genetic basis of human intelligence.
It will no doubt eventually succeed and be able to produce modified human embryos with enhanced intelligence.
The potential market for this will be truly gigantic, as will the opposition.
Opposition vs. Opportunity
Guilty as charged, Hutch! But that doesn’t mean I’m against all brain investments.
Let me explain…
My Christian beliefs stand in strong opposition to massively “engineering” God’s creative work at the genetic level.
Of course, that’s my personal perspective from which I evaluate investments, not one I’m suggesting everyone should adopt. So please don’t send me hate mail for pushing an agenda. I’m not.
Here’s the thing… My opposition doesn’t prevent me from paying careful attention to the space. And when it comes to brain investments, I’m all for technologies that can augment human deficiencies.
In this regard, Second Sight Medical Products (NASDAQ:EYES) deserves serious consideration.
The company recently received conditional FDA approval to proceed with a cortical implant to restore vision to blind people. (That’s not a typo.)
I believe there’s little technology risk involved with these trials, as the company has already successfully implanted a less sophisticated electrode array into a patient.
So it’s only a matter of Second Sight’s software and advanced array restoring meaningful enough vision for patients to desire the implant.
Here’s the key: After successfully demonstrating such capabilities, Second Sight’s technology can be used to treat other conditions, including pain management. In other words, Second Sight’s cortical implant device holds the potential to become a platform technology.
As such, the company is a natural acquisition target for Elon Musk’s Neuralink. Especially since it’s trading at such a low market cap of about $63 million.
Heck, a merger with the NASDAQ-listed company to get Neuralink public might unlock the “mind-blowing” gains Jonathan predicted above.
Like I said, the company deserves serious consideration from any investor interested in this space. Don’t miss out!