Why I’m Rooting For Spark Therapeutics Turn on any television station in America, and within a few minutes you are probably going to see an ad for a pharmaceutical drug. Putting aside the fact that advertising drugs on television is illegal in most countries, I despise these ads for their sheer audacity. They have no qualms pushing a pill that has a list of side effects longer than what I’d expect to hear about the dangers of hanging out inside Chernobyl for a month. It’s insanity. That’s why it’s refreshing to see a company making strides not be reformulating a pill with nasty side effects, but using gene therapy. Gene therapy consists of inserting new genes into a person's DNA and thus altering the proteins they create. It sounds like something out of science fiction, which is part of what makes it so awesome. Spark Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ONCE) is not trying to give us longer lasting erections, or cure baldness, or do any number of other things we are wasting our research dollars studying. They are trying to use cutting edge technology to try to cure blindness! They recently announced successful stage three results and are now one step closer to being the first ever FDA approved gene therapy. That is awesome. These are the kinds of companies who should be cheered when their stock soars over 50%. While there are still opportunities for stumbling blocks, the future definitely looks bright. It’s encouraging to know that for every Monsanto, Verizon and Charter out there, looking to screw people over at every turn, there is a company succeeding by doing things the right way.