BNY Mellon IM, one of the world’s largest asset managers with $2 trillion in assets under management, today announces the launch of the BNY Mellon Smart Cures Innovation Fund, managed by its investment firm Mellon Investments Corporation (Mellon).
Available via the Irish-domiciled fund range, BNY Mellon Global Funds, plc, the BNY Mellon Smart Cures Innovation Fund (the Fund) is a thematic equity fund, investing in companies that are developing gene therapy, gene editing and gene modulation treatments. It also invests in companies that help fuel the development of these drugs, including those which may offer patients years of drug benefit after a single dose.
The Fund expands the existing Mellon innovation thematics range, which includes the BNY Mellon Mobility Innovation Fund and BNY Mellon Blockchain Innovation Fund. It leverages Mellon’s thematic platform and equity research capabilities to provide investors with exposure to cutting-edge areas of healthcare and biotechnology, with the investment team including industry-educated scientists with research and lab experience.
“The current health crisis is calling for greater focus on healthcare solutions, with gene therapy solutions and tools increasing in popularity and development expenditure. For investors looking to access this growing segment of healthcare solutions, we believe an actively managed thematic approach is more relevant than ever. The portfolio managers have a deep, intimate understanding of this space. They lean on experiences as scientists and long-term healthcare investors, enabling the team to understand the success criteria from a fundamental perspective”.
Sasha Evers, Managing Director, BNY Mellon Investment Management Iberia & Latin America
“Since the completion of the human genome project in 2003, scientists have worked to discover how these genes are controlled, how they interact, and how they can cause disease. We are now at the precipice of Biotech 2.0, driven by a transformational technology inflection that should only continue to advance. Scientists and doctors are now able to utilize this information to safely and effectively treat disease at the DNA and RNA level. These new drug classes represent the fastest-growing segment of the biopharma industry. Furthermore, they represent a shift in the approach to healthcare, going beyond simply treating symptoms and starting to treat at the underlying cause of disease with a potential cure as the goal.”
Amanda Birdsey-Benson, PhD and Matthew Jenkin, co-Portfolio Managers at Mellon
The Fund is available to European institutional and intermediary investors in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal (upon registration), Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Singapore (private placement only).
