OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF (Nasdaq: CNCR) recently surpassed $50 million in assets under management (AUM), marking a pivotal milestone for the fund.
Launched with a modest seed investment of $2.5 million on Oct. 13, 2015, the ETF has been offering exposure to public companies at the forefront of cancer immunotherapy research for more than two years.
Cancer immunotherapy has become an important sector in the biotechnology space, changing the way many cancers are treated. CNCR is the first and only ETF to focus exclusively on immunotherapy and is based on the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy Index, an innovative index developed by biotechnology investor and Loncar Investments CEO Brad Loncar.
“The capital markets play an important role in the development of new medicines,” Loncar said. “We created this index to highlight innovative research that has the potential to improve cancer care and change lives. Important new advances have already reached patients over this time, and I am optimistic that this is just the beginning for immunotherapy. I sincerely thank all investors for your interest.”
In the time since CNCR was launched, FDA approvals for the types of treatments the fund invests in has vastly expanded, including new checkpoint inhibitors, an oncolytic virus and landmark approvals of CAR-T cellular immunotherapies. While the field has made great strides, there is much more work ahead, as the vast majority of cancer patients still need better options. Innovative immunotherapy companies are working hard to build on this progress and play a disruptive role.
“CNCR was launched with the goal of helping investors gain exposure to one of the most groundbreaking segments in biotech,” said J. Garrett Stevens, CEO of Exchange Traded Concepts. “We are pleased with the reception the fund has received from the marketplace and grateful to investors for their participation in it.”
Loncar Investments is an official partner of the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), the world’s longest running nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to harnessing the immune system’s power to conquer all cancers. To learn about how to give to CRI, please visit here.
About Exchange Traded Concepts: ETC is carving out a niche as a portal to launch new, custom exchange-traded funds efficiently and cost-effectively through a complete turnkey solution. ETC is a private-label ETF advisor with passive and active exemptive relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch both domestic and international equity exchange traded funds under the Investment Company Act of 1940. For more information, please go to www.exchangetradedconcepts.com.
About Loncar Investments: Loncar Investments, LLC, the provider of the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy Index, is committed to making the biotechnology space more approachable to a wider range of investors. The company is principally owned by biotech investor and analyst Brad Loncar. Mr. Loncar manages a biotech-focused family portfolio from his Lenexa, Kansas office. He can be followed on Twitter at @bradloncar and his commentary is available at www.loncarblog.com.
Opinions expressed are those of ETC, Loncar Investments and their partners and are subject to change, not guaranteed, and should not be considered investment advice.
Investing involves risk; Principal loss is possible. The Fund will invest in immunotherapy companies which are highly dependent on the development, procurement and marketing of drugs and the protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights. A company's valuation can also be greatly affected if one of its products is proven or alleged to be unsafe, ineffective or unprofitable. The costs associated with developing new drugs can be significant, and the results are unpredictable. The process for obtaining regulatory approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other governmental regulatory authorities is long and costly and there can be no assurance that the necessary approvals with be obtained and maintained. The Fund may invest in foreign securities, which involve political, economic, currency risk, greater volatility, and differences in accounting methods. The Fund is non-diversified meaning it may concentrate its assets in fewer individual holdings than a diversified fund. Therefore, the Fund is more exposed to individual stock volatility than a diversified fund. The Fund invests in smaller companies which may have more limited liquidity and greater volatility compared to larger companies. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the index. The fund invests in securities included in, or representative of securities included in, the index, regardless of their investment merits. The performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Index and may experience tracking error to a greater extent than a fund that seeks to replicate an index.
The Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The summary and statutory prospectuses contain this and other important information about the investment company, and may be obtained by calling 800.617.0004 or visiting www.loncarfunds.com. Read it carefully before investing.
Fund holdings are subject to change and should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
The Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy Index is an index of 30 securities that have a strategic focus on the area of cancer immunotherapy, or harnessing the immune system to fight cancer. Quotes for the index can be found under the symbol “LCINDX” on the Bloomberg Professional service and other financial data providers.
One may not directly invest in an index.
Diversification does not assure a profit nor protect against loss in a declining market.
The SEC does not approve or disapprove of any investment. (www.sec.gov).
Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC serves as the investment advisor to the Fund. The Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF is distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC, which is not affiliated with Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC or any of its affiliates.
