Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (INO)

[Ubertino]

INO double in 2016

To begin with, there is no exact science to picking stocks that could double. In other words, understand that any stocks mentioned here could actually lose value. Nonetheless, if you're looking for a high-risk but potentially high-reward company that could possibly double in 2016, I'd suggest digging deeper into clinical-stage vaccine developer Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:INO).

Inovio is a bifurcated vaccine developer, meaning that half of its pipeline is devoted to infectious disease vaccine development, such as hepatitis B & C, as well as ebola and influenza, while the remainder of its pipeline is working on the development of cancer immunotherapies, which enhance the body's ability to fight cancer by reducing its immunosuppressant quality. If you're curious about which aspect is most important, Inovio's management is clear that oncology research takes precedence.

I believe the two big catalysts in 2016 could be a combination of collaborative deals and the expectation of potentially positive clinical data.

Inovio's lead drug is VGX-3100, a DNA-based immunotherapy that hit its primary endpoint in cervical dysplasia caused by human papillomavirus types 16 or 18. Aside from kicking off its phase 3 study in 2016, shareholders may get data on INO-1400, a phase 1 study in breast, lung, and pancreatic cancer, INO-3106 for aerodigestive cancer caused by HPV type 6, and interim data from its all-important study of INO-3112 for head and neck cancer as well as cervical cancer. INO-3112 is licensed out to MedImmune, meaning Inovio's advancement of INO-3112 could net the company some much-welcomed cash.

Additionally, Inovio has landed Roche and MedImmune as collaborative partners within the past two years. As Inovio's vaccine development program continues to demonstrate promise, it's possible it could attract more partners. I'm not going to speculate who those partners might be, but the cancer immunotherapy space is so hot right now that companies like Inovio with more than a half-dozen ongoing cancer studies are likely on a lot of larger pharmaceutical companies' radars.

Down around 35% year-to-date, I believe Inovio could be a good candidate for a catalyst-driven rebound in 2016.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/10/20/5-stocks-that-could-double-in-2016.aspx