Ep. 499: Panna Sharma: Changing the Face of Cancer

Welcome back to another episode of Wall Street Unplugged! On today’s show, I introduce listeners to Panna Sharma. Panna is the CEO and President of a small-cap, clinical and diagnostics company - Cancer Genetics (CGIX). Panna brings together everything you need to know about the company. It’s core focus? Precision medicine. And the drug industry is betting big on it… To start off the interview, Panna and I talk about how treatments and innovations in the industry are rapidly changing… In the past, companies were betting on single drugs and routine treatments to cure all. But considering the complex, biological diversity of something like cancer, there has never been and never will be “one answer.” Panna explains how the industry and his company in particular are making huge strides in the right direction. Recently, we’ve seen a transfer from trial-and-error medicines to evidence-based medicine. And instead of dividing patients into groups based on thousands of outcomes, today you can now treat patients baseds on the details of their own unique genes. The trend is the death of “one size fits all.” And companies like Cancer Genetics are sitting at the center of it. The business model, as Panna says, comes from a “multi-tiered” approach. The company focuses on drug design, clinical trials, and diagnosis development. It’s a strategy leveraged from genomic data, innovation, and collaboration. And it benefits both side’s of the equation - the world of biotech/pharma development, as well as the patients. Now for those that are familiar with my podcast, you know that I’m picky... And you probably have heard about my show’s golden rule -- To never bring on a CEO of a company I don’t personally believe in. In other words, don’t take this as a sales pitch. This company, no doubt, has long-term growth potential. And Panna has all the right answers to back it up… After looking at what’s actually on paper, it was difficult to turn away. For one, there’s high insider ownership. But more important, Cancer Genetics is working with 8 out of the top 10 biotech companies. A small company with strong partnerships with some of the biggest names in the industry is huge. This commercial traction alone is their strongest catalyst going forward. The current share price is sitting just above $2.00. And valuations are at a steep discount compared to other traditional genomic diagnosis companies. But before taking any action, note that earnings are only one week away. And considering the current shape of the industry, be sure to do some homework. Again, this is a long-term play… And resources like this interview are a great place to start. Not only is this a company that should be on everyone’s radar, this is one of those “feel good” stories. And I’m more than happy to introduce listeners to the opportunity. Just click here to listen…