Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Own Right Now

From the impact of Obamacare to cutting-edge research, biotech buyouts to FDA decisions, The Motley Fool's health-care team sits down each week�to discuss the most fascinating developments in health care and their implications for long-term investors. In this week's edition, the team talks about The Atlantic's fifth annual Health Care Forum, biotechs in the news, two stocks investors need to watch, and more.

In the segment below, health-care analyst David Williamson highlights key takeaways from the panel of Farzad Mostashari, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology for the United States. This part of the program focused on the future of health IT in the country and that while making big strides, the true impact of this technological revolution is still in the early innings.

Watch and find out and why it has captured the attention of venture capitalists and discover one stock investors may want to put on their radars.

What macro trend was Warren Buffett referring to when he said "This is the tapeworm that's eating at American competitiveness"? Find out in our free report: What's Really Eating at America's Competitiveness. You'll also discover an idea to profit as companies work to eradicate this efficiency-sucking tapeworm. Just click here for free, immediate access.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Own For 2015: Juno Therapeutics Inc (JUNO)

Juno Therapeutics, Inc. (Juno) is a United States-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in developing cell-based cancer immunotherapies based on its chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), and high-affinity T cell receptor (TCR), technologies to genetically engineer T cells to recognize and kill cancer cells. Through genetic engineering, the Company inserts a gene for a particular CAR or TCR construct into the T cell that enables it to better recognize cancer cells. Its CAR technology directs T cells to recognize cancer cells based on the expression of specific proteins located on the cell surface, whereas its TCR technology provides the T cells with a specific T cell receptor to recognize protein fragments derived from either the surface or inside the cell.

To provide treatment, the Company harvests blood cells from a cancer patient, separate the appropriate T cells, activate the cells, insert the gene sequence for the CAR or TCR construct into the cells��Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), and grow these modified T cells to the desired dose level. The modified T cells can then be infused into the patient or frozen and stored for later infusion. Once infused, the T cells are designed to multiply, through a process known as cell expansion, when they encounter the targeted proteins and to kill the targeted cancer cells.

CD19-Directed Product Candidates

The Company�� product candidates, such as JCAR015, JCAR017, and JCAR014, which use CAR technology to target CD19, a protein expressed on the surface of almost all B cell leukemias and lymphomas. The Company has rights to commercialize each of these product candidates across the world. The Company�� JCAR015 is an advanced development product candidate, and it has demonstrated clinically meaningful complete remission rates in adult patients with r/r ALL. JCAR015 uses the CD28 costimulatory domain and CD3 enriched peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), which requires fewer process steps for! manufacture than its defined cell composition product candidates. JCAR015 is being tested in a Phase I open label clinical trial of patients with r/r ALL for the treatment of refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

JCAR017 also targets CD19, but differs from JCAR015 in several important respects. JCAR017 uses the 4-1BB costimulatory domain and a defined cell composition of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells. JCAR017 is in development for pediatric patients with r/r ALL. JCAR017 is being evaluated in a Phase I/II clinical trial in pediatric r/r ALL.

JCAR014 also targets CD19. JCAR014 uses the 4-1BB costimulatory domain and is composed of CD8+ central memory T cells and CD4+ T cells in a defined ratio. JCAR014 is being evaluated in a Phase I/II trial as a treatment for a number of B cell malignancies in patients relapsed or refractory to standard therapies.

Additional Product Candidates

The Company is exploring the potential of its CAR and TCR technologies against targets that have the potential to treat cancers not targeted by CD19-directed products, in particular, difficult-to-treat solid organ tumors, such as certain breast, lung, and pancreatic cancers, as well as B cell malignancies that do not express CD19. The Company�� CD22 is a cell surface protein widely expressed on B lymphocytes. It is expressed by B cell malignancies, including non-Hodgkin�� lymphoma (NHL), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The Company�� L1CAM, also known as CD171, is a cell-surface adhesion molecule that plays an important role in the development of a normal nervous system. It is overexpressed in neuroblastoma, and there is increasing evidence of aberrant expression in a variety of solid organ tumors, including glioblastoma and lung, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers.

The Company�� MUC-16 is a protein overexpressed in the ovarian cancers, but not on the surface of normal ovary cells. CA-125 is a protein found in the ! blood of ! ovarian cancer patients that results from the cleavage of MUC-16. CA-125 levels in the blood are a common test for ovarian cancer progression because they correlate with cancer progression. Its MUC-16/IL-12 product candidate uses its armored CAR technology. IL-12 is a cytokine that can help overcome the inhibitory effects that the tumor micro-environment can have on T cell activity.

The Company�� ROR-1 is a protein expressed in the formation of embryos, but in normal adult cells its surface expression is predominantly found at low levels on adipocytes, or fat cells, and briefly on precursors to B cells, or pre-B cells, during normal B cell maturation. ROR-1 is overexpressed on a variety of cancers including a subset of non-small cell lung cancer, triple negative breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer. It is expressed on B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma. The Company�� high-affinity TCR T cell product candidate targets WT-1, an intracellular protein that is overexpressed in a number of cancers, including adult myeloid leukemia, or AML, and non-small cell lung, breast, pancreatic, ovarian, and colorectal cancers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap cancer drug stock Kite Pharma Inc (NASDAQ: KITE) has surged after announcing a�strategic research collaboration and license agreement with Amgen, Inc (NASDAQ: AMGN)�involving Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) ��meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock, which had an IPO last June,�along with potential peers�Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: BLCM) and Juno Therapeutics (NASDAQ: JUNO) which are players in the CAR therapies space and had more recent IPOs.

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Own Right Now: Amgen Inc.(AMGN)

Amgen Inc., a biotechnology medicines company, discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets human therapeutics based on advances in cellular and molecular biology for grievous illnesses primarily in the United States, Europe, and Canada. The company markets recombinant protein therapeutics in supportive cancer care, nephrology, and inflammation. Its principal products include Aranesp and EPOGEN erythropoietic-stimulating agents that stimulate the production of red blood cells; Neulasta and NEUPOGEN to stimulate the production of neutrophils, which is a type of white blood cell that helps the body to fight infections; and Enbrel, an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor that plays a role in the body?s response to inflammatory diseases. The company also markets other products comprising Sensipar/Mimpara, a small molecule calcimimetic that lowers serum calcium levels; Vectibix, a monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to the epidermal growth factor receptor; and Nplate, a thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonist that mimics endogenous TPO, the primary driver of platelet production. In addition, it provides Denosumab, a human monoclonal antibody that targets RANKL, an essential regulator of osteoclasts. Further, the company offers product candidates in mid-to-late stage development in a variety of therapeutic areas, including oncology, hematology, inflammation, bone, nephrology, cardiovascular, and general medicine consisting of neurology. It markets its products to healthcare providers, including physicians or their clinics, dialysis centers, hospitals, and pharmacies; consumers; and wholesale distributors of pharmaceutical products. The company has various collaborative arrangements with Pfizer Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline plc; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited; Array BioPharma Inc.; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. Ltd.; and Cytokinetics, Inc. Amgen Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Gilead’s not the only biotech benefiting from Roden’s largess. He expects a beat from Biogen Idec (BIIB) and raised his target to $130. He predicts good things from Amgen (AMGN), as well.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Other earnings highlights in the coming week include Dow components McDonald�� Corp. (MCD) , DuPont (DD) , AT&T Inc. (T) , and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) . Notable S&P 500 companies include Halliburton Co. (HAL) , Netflix Inc. (NFLX) �, Amgen Inc. (AMGN) �, TripAdvisor Inc. (TRIP) �, Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) �, Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) �, Ford Motor Co. (F) �, Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) �, and United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) �

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  In the following video, Fool contributor Maxx Chatsko explains whether he thinks Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD  ) or Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN  ) is the better buy. Both companies are trading at nearly identical market caps and have risen dramatically since the beginning of 2012 in anticipation of new blockbuster products. Both have robust pipelines stuffed full of potential at all levels of development. This is going to be a tough decision. If these companies are on your watchlist or if you're simply looking to add to a position, then you may want to use the current market volatility to your advantage.

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Own Right Now: Bio-Path Holdings Inc (BPTH)

Bio-Path Holdings Inc is a development stage company. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Bio-Path, Inc. is engaged in the business of developing cancer therapeutics. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had licenses from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson) for three lead products and nucleic acid delivery technology, including tumor targeting technology. The licenses provide drug delivery platform technology with composition of matter intellectual property for antisense that enables systemic delivery of antisense, formulation intellectual property for systemic delivery of small interfering Ribonucleic acid (RNA) (siRNA) and small molecules for treatment of cancer. The Company issued a press release announcing that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had allowed an IND (investigational new drug) for its lead cancer drug candidate liposomal BP-100-1.01 (or Liposomal Grb-2 or L-Grb-2) to proceed into clinical trials.

In February, 2012, the Company completed requirements for treating patients in the second cohort. The dose being used for treatment in the third cohort is double the dose that was used to treat patients in the second cohort. At the end of February, 2012, enrollment continued in the third cohort of the clinical trial and patients are being treated.

BP-100-1.01

BP-100-1.01 is the Company's lead lipid delivery antisense drug candidate, which is being clinically tested in patients having acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Receipt of an IND allowed the Company to commence its Phase I clinical trial to study L-Grb-2 in human patients. Phase I clinical trial is a dose-escalating study to determine the safety and tolerance of escalating doses of L-Grb-2. The clinical trial is being conducted at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. As of December 31, 2011, the trial is in the middle of ! testing the third dose in patients.

BP-100-2.01

BP-100-1.02 is Liposomal Bcl-2 (also L-Bcl-2), another liposomal antisense drug candidate that was licensed from MD Anderson. This drug has pre-clinical testing data package. The target protein for this drug candidate, Bcl-2, is involved in regulating programmed cell death. In cancer, the Bcl-2 protein can over-express, which can lead to a situation, in which the Bcl-2 protein blocks the cell�� normal death signals, making the cancer cell resistant to chemotherapy. Types of cancer potentially treatable with L-Bcl-2 include lymphoma, prostate cancer, small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) and several others.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Bio-Path Holdings (NASDAQ: BPTH) shares declined 5.66% to touch a new 52-week low of $2.50. Bio-Path shares have jumped 349.15% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 19.24% in the same period.

Top 5 Biotech Stocks To Own Right Now: Neurocrine Biosciences Inc.(NBIX)

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of neurological and endocrine-related diseases and disorders in the United States. It develops drugs for endometriosis, stress-related disorders, pain, tardive dyskinesia, uterine fibroids, diabetes, insomnia, and other neurological and endocrine-related diseases and disorders. The company?s products in clinical development include Elagolix, a Phase II drug for endometriosis; Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 Inhibitor (VMAT2), a Phase II drug for movement disorders; CRF2 Peptide Agonist, a Phase II drug for cardiovascular diseases; CRF1 Antagonist, a Phase II drug for stress-related disorders; and Elagolix, a Phase II drug for uterine fibroids. Its research programs comprise G Protein-Coupled Receptor 119 (GPR119) for type II diabetes; VMAT2 for schizophrenia; GnRH Antagonists for men?s and women?s health, and oncology; Antiepileptic Drugs for epilepsy, essential tremor, and pain; and G Protein-Coupled Receptors for other conditions. The company has collaborations with GlaxoSmithKline to develop and commercialize CRF antagonists for psychiatric, neurological, and gastrointestinal diseases; Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd. to develop and commercialize Indiplon in Japan; Abbott International Luxembourg S.�r.l. to develop and commercialize elagolix and GnRH antagonists for women?s and men?s health indications; and Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH to research, develop, and commercialize small molecule GPR119 agonists for the treatment of type II diabetes and other indications. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another stock that's starting to trend within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX), which discovers, develops and commercializes drugs for the treatment of neurological and endocrine-related diseases and disorders. This stock has been a hot name with bulls so far in 2013, with shares up 57%.

  If you look at the chart for Neurocrine Biosciences, you'll notice that this stock recently gapped down sharply from $16.74 to below $11.50 a share with heavy downside volume flows. Following that gap down, shares of NBIX went on to continue its trend lower and the stock hit a new low of $10.42 a share. Shares of NBIX have started to rebound off that $10.42 low and it's now moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in NBIX if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at its 200-day moving average of $11.92 a share and above its gap down day high of $12.17 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 894,145 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then NBIX will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from September that started at $16.74 a share. Some possible upside targets for NBIX if it gets into that gap with volume are $14 to $15 a share.

  Traders can look to buy NBIX off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below support at $11 a share, or below that recent low of $10.42 a share. One can also buy NBIX off strength once it takes out that breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  Shares of Neurocrine Biosciences (NASDAQ: NBIX) got a boost, shooting up 57.43 percent to $15.37 after the company reported positive results of VMAT2 inhibitor NBI-98854 in Kinect 2 study.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Yes, say the folks at Nomura, who recommend buying�Celgene (CELG), Receptos
  (RCPT), Gilead Sciences (GILD), Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX), and Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN), in that order. Analyst M. Ian Somaiya and team explain why: