INVESTING TOWARD HEALING: HOW BIOTECHNOLOGY CAN BRING HOPE TO CHRISTIANS

 By Finny Kuruvilla, Op-ed contributor Wednesday, January 24, 2024

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More than 6 million people live with Alzheimer's in the United States alone, and 1 in 3 seniors die from the disease or other types of dementia.

If you've ever walked close to someone suffering from an illness that gradually damages their body and mind, such as cancer or Alzheimer's, you probably know that they don't feel the way they should. These diseases cause pain and suffering, which reminds us that we live in a ruined world. We also long for the moment when everything will change, when sadness and pain will no longer exist.

The diagnosis of childhood leukemia was essentially a death sentence fifty years ago. I know that many parents of these children will say goodbye before they graduate from high school. Even for 25 years, I worked as a doctor with patients.

By 2023, the survival rate of leukemia children will increase to 90% due to research, innovation, and investment capital. A number of therapies have been put into the hospital to alleviate the suffering caused by this terrible disease. In addition, when their children are healed and given hope for a healthy life, parents have a pleasant life experience, as it should be.

When Jesus healed people of diseases that destroyed their lives, they probably experienced this feeling. They enjoyed God's mercy at that moment, and their joy became a beautiful melody in his ears.

When I think about my current position as a professional investor, it's sad to think about how my decisions about where I allocate capital affect my life. Although investment does not have the miraculous power of Jesus, capital can heal people with the ordinary hands of the doctors and scientists who work through the company. Therefore, I think of the indescribable sense of relief, joy, and excitement that is present in the lives of people suffering from such a hopeless disease as Alzheimer's when new drugs and therapies are developed through revolutionary biotechnological advances.

Imagine if such a vision controlled all investment decisions. What was the result? It can lead to happiness in society.

In my capacity as a Christian, I felt this calling personally. In Proverbs 11:10, the Bible says, "When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices." I've spent most of my career offering a way for investors to come together and invest in companies that, in my opinion, have a significant impact on the progress of our world. This includes businesses of interest in healthcare and biotechnology, but also businesses in other fields and industries that do essential work to meet human needs.

However, one of the most devastating impacts of our complex investment environment is that many investors, including many Christians, invest unconsciously in companies that harm and even destroy lives. When you invest in an index fund or mutual fund, you join the company that invested in the fund, and you benefit from their actions. As a result, many make a profit from businesses that make and sell dangerous goods such as pornography, weapons, cigarettes, and various types of abortions.

Because we invest in biotech businesses that handle the human body, our outlook on human life influences ethical standards, from research and development to marketing and distribution. This is especially important for biotech investors. Sadly, the industry that so much promises to bring hope and healing may also not have the same value of human life in every phase of life as we see it, which is that everyone is created in God's image.

As Christians, we have this wonderful opportunity to raise our investment funds for companies that have a profound impact on some of the most vulnerable people in the world, giving them a taste of God's redemption. I believe that diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's are more likely to be just words in history books than active criminals. But it takes intentionality, and I love to see Christian investors, financial advisors, and other fund managers come together to act as God's hand that gives and heals the world.

Finny Kuruvilla, MD, PhD, is a founding member of Eventide and is Co-Chief Investment Officer, Senior Portfolio Manager, Managing Director, and founding member.

News Sources:  https://www.christianpost.com/voices/how-christians-can-bring-hope-through-biotech.html