Two Biotechs Poised For Big Gains This Week
Another Biotech That Could Rocket Higher This Week
In yesterday's post (Biotech Lotto Ticket Update), I mentioned one biotech that was poised to pop today, Lineage Cell Therapeutics (LCTX 0.00%↑). I forgot to mention another one with a catalyst today, Sana Biotechnology (SANA 0.00%↑). Here's a cheat sheet on both, if you're thinking of trading them.
1️⃣ Sana Biotechnology (NASDAQ: SANA)
Catalyst: Invited six-month clinical update — ADA Scientific Sessions, Monday @ 10:30 a.m. CT ir.sana.comglobenewswire.com
| What we’ll hear | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| First-in-human data on UP421, a hypoimmune‐modified islet-cell therapy for Type 1 diabetes | • One treated patient is six months insulin- & immunosuppression-free. • If replicated, UP421 could leapfrog donor-islet transplants, the current gold standard that still requires lifelong immunosuppression. |
| Safety & durability profile through 180 days | • The ADA crowd is data‐driven: low adverse events and durable C-peptide levels would de-risk the platform. |
| Expansion path (multi-patient cohort) | • Positive signals open the door to “breakthrough” or RMAT dialogue with FDA, accelerating timelines. |
Why the stock could pop Monday
Audience effect: the ADA meeting pulls in ~11-12 k registrants; roughly 3–4 k are adult endocrinologists who influence treatment paradigms and often trade or recommend names they’ve just seen. breakthrought1d.org
Scarcity value: no other public company has shown insulin independence without immunosuppression.
Float dynamics: SANA’s free float is only ~24 % of shares outstanding; a modest uptick in buy-interest can move the tape quickly.
Watch-for: If the single-patient success extends to the next two patients in cohort B, look for sell-side upgrades and chatter about a pivotal trial design in H2-25.
Monday AM Update
$SANA just released the 6-month data it's presenting at the @AmDiabetesAssn Scientific Sessions today.
— Portfolio Armor (@PortfolioArmor) June 23, 2025
The first human patient treated with their potential cure for Type 1 diabetes is still going strong after 6 months, while taking no insulin or immune suppressants. pic.twitter.com/yayUboLD2T
2️⃣ Lineage Cell Therapeutics (AMEX: LCTX)
Catalyst window: Genentech PR “within weeks” + 36-month OpRegen® read-out at CTS-2025 (June 27) businesswire.combusinesswire.commodernretina.com
| What could hit | Price-sensitive angle |
|---|---|
| Genentech/LCTX services-agreement milestones or data-share PR | • Prior Genentech press releases on OpRegen have triggered double-digit one-day moves in LCTX. |
| 36-month functional vision data (phase 2a, GA secondary to AMD) | • If BCVA gains remain ≥7 letters and lesion growth stays slowed, analysts will start modelling blockbuster-size royalties. |
| Potential partner opt-in for spinal cord (SCIIS meeting) | • Separately, Lineage tees-up a June 27 investor symposium on spinal cord injury – any strategic partner news adds another risk-on spark. |
Why Monday could be the start of a new leg
Pattern set-up: the stock has been basing in the $1.60–1.80 zone; traders remember the May 2024 Genentech PR that drove a 40 % gap.
Valuation gap: LCTX trades at < 3× 2026e OpRegen royalty sales versus cell-therapy peers at 8–10×.
Short-term IV low: front-month at-the-money calls imply a ±12 % move by July — well under the 20–30 % jumps we saw on the last three data bursts.
Watch-for: A Monday-morning 8-K or Genentech newsroom post; if nothing drops, option premiums may leak until later in the week — keep a trading tranche nimble.
Tactical takeaways
SANA: momentum play into the ADA deck. Small float + novel cure angle = potential volatility.
LCTX: event-driven swing; even a “PR-then-data” one-two punch could squeeze shorts.
Risk management: both names are clinical-stage — size positions modestly, use stops, and consider call-spreads to bound downside.
Bottom line: Monday’s calendar lines up two asymmetric biotech shots:
If Sana’s six-month data look anything like the first patient’s, endocrinologists will be talking — and buying — before lunch. If Lineage’s big-pharma partner steps back into the headlines, we could see the May-style pop all over again.
Our positions in both stocks
Portfolio Armor Substack subscribers and I are long SANA and LCTX via options. I wrote about SANA on the Substack in May,
And I first wrote about LCTX last Friday.
We plan on selling half of our positions into a strong upward move to lock in profits.
If you would like a heads up when we place our next trade, feel free to subscribe to the Portfolio Armor Substack below.
And if you want to limit your downside risk, in light of the conflict in the Mideast, consider the Portfolio Armor iPhone app or website. Both will help you scan for the optimal hedge given your risk tolerance and time frame.
Monday PM Update
Well, Iran didn't close the Strait of Hormuz (yet), but the did launch missiles at major U.S. bases in the region. That seems to have sapped the market's appetite for micro cap biotechs today, as both LCTX and SANA gave back their earlier gains today and their great data releases.
Holding both for now (intend to keep holding our long-dated SANA calls regardless; but staying nimble about the ones expiring next month).