Am hearing unconfirmed buzz that something’s happening with Helius Medical Technologies (HSM.T) right now, and the stock is certainly indicating that might be the case.
I’ve been a fan of this stock for a long time, having been introduced to it by Fabrice Taylor at his President’s Club investor conference.
Stock is up from $1.15 to its current $1.41 over the last month, with volume building.
Why the rise? Because PoNS.
Research shows that electrical stimulation of the tongue stimulates two major cranial nerves: the trigeminal (the nerve responsible for sensations in the face, biting and chewing) and the facial (the nerve responsible for motor control of most of the muscles of facial expression). The electrical stimulation of the cranial nerves creates a flow of neural impulses that are then delivered directly into the brain stem—the main control center for many life functions, including sensory perception and movement. From the brain stem, these impulses travel throughout the brain and activate or reactivate neurons and structures involved in human function—the cortex, spinal cord and potentially the entire central nervous system.
Translated: By delivering small electrical charges through the tongue, you can get activity going in areas that, for some people, are long abandoned. The charge tells the brain to get woke, which allows physiotherapy and physical activity to have a greater effect – or so the thinking goes.
This came to light when Navy Seals, who often swim long distances in pitch black, used an electrical device in their mouths that would give them a small charge if they started to veer off their course. Those divers came up at the end of their swims and, instead of being disoriented and wobbly for minutes at a time, seemed perfectly fine to go back in for more.
This led to theories that the electrical charge was stimulating the brain, research that determined that stimulation was making the brain more open to input, and has led to today, where the company is working on treatments for cerebral palsy and physiotherapy.
The pitch I heard was amazing. Others at the President’s Club conference agreed, and it shot to $1.80, but biotech is slow going and not everyone has the heart to stay with it while gold is going to 400x gains, so it shrunk back.
I like the build-up. I’m back in.
— Chris Parry
FULL DISCLOSURE: Just bought some HSM. Not a client company.