8 Best Life Sciences Penny Stocks to Buy

In this article, we will look at some of the best penny stocks in the life sciences sector that currently offer attractive upside potential for investors.

On March 11, CBRE shared an analysis covering the U.S. market trends in life sciences real estate. The analysis reviewed the factors behind the recovery process in the life sciences real estate, which had been suffering from oversupply, risk aversion, and inactivity in the capital markets for two years. The analysis should not be ignored by investors who follow this market segment.

The major takeaway was that construction activity is expected to hit its 10-year low point, characterized by lower lab and R&D construction. This would eventually reduce pressure across the U.S. life sciences segment, and most importantly, would lead to improved fundamentals. Several positive trends were noted by CBRE at the end of 2025, with even greater improvement expected in 2026, indicating a change in the business cycle. The firm also pointed out some positive developments in both the stock market and venture capital investments, which typically precede an increase in the demand for laboratories, before entering 2026.

Investments in laboratory facilities have never been higher, underscoring the country’s reputation as a leader in life sciences worldwide. Investors, according to CBRE, can expect irregular demand trends because of the historically high patent cliff, fast-tracked drug approvals, diversified funding sources, and China’s growing importance in global R&D.

With that background, let’s explore our 8 Best Life Sciences Penny Stocks to Buy.

Our Methodology

To identify relevant stocks for this article, we conducted a screening of U.S.-listed life sciences penny stocks with market capitalizations above $200 million. Also, we only shortlisted names with at least 20% upside potential according to analyst consensus, as of April 8 closing. Finally, we selected 8 stocks with the highest upside and ranked them in ascending order.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 498.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 303 percentage points (see more details here).

8. Nautilus Biotechnology Inc. (NASDAQ:NAUT)

Nautilus Biotechnology Inc. (NASDAQ:NAUT) is one of the 8 Best Life Sciences Penny Stocks to Buy.

On March 18, Nautilus Biotechnology Inc. announced Baylor College of Medicine as the first customer of Nautilus’s Iterative Mapping Early Access Program. Baylor will be utilizing the Nautilus single-molecule proteomics technology through a National Institutes of Health U01 grant, which will allow Baylor to address one of the fundamental problems in cancer biology research. This involves understanding the roles of altered protein isoforms in promoting tumor growth, metastasis, immune escape, and drug resistance.

As Nautilus increases its commercial availability by using its validated tau proteoforms assay, Baylor will focus on creating innovative methods for detecting proteins. In the research study, Baylor will focus on creating a user-friendly computational tool kit with better detection capabilities of protein isoforms from traditional shotgun proteomics data sets.

Through the combination of computational techniques with high-resolution, full-length protein isoform profiling data sets generated using the Nautilus Voyager platform, this research project is expected to allow researchers to directly compare changes between transcriptional and proteomic events at an unprecedented level of detail.

Nautilus Biotechnology Inc. is involved in the development of a technological platform for quantifying and unlocking the complexity of the proteome. Its platform offers end-to-end solutions involving reagents, consumables, and more. Its portfolio also includes optical imaging systems, single-molecule library kits, affinity reagents, and flow cells.

7. Maravai LifeSciences Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVI)

Maravai LifeSciences Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVI) is one of the 8 Best Life Sciences Penny Stocks to Buy.

As of the April 8 close, Maravai LifeSciences Holdings Inc. had a moderately bullish consensus sentiment. The stock received coverage from 6 analysts, 3 of whom assigned Buy ratings and 3 gave Hold calls. With no Sell rating, the stock has a projected median 1-year price target of $4, which leads to an upside potential of more than 30%.

On March 26, the news portal Ad Hoc News reported that Maravai LifeSciences Holdings Inc. had been exhibiting volatility amid trading activity in the stock options, as well as rating downgrades by some analysts. This reflects on investor skepticism at a time when the company aims for cost reduction and turning EBITDA positive during the ongoing year.

In late February, Maravai LifeSciences Holdings Inc. stated in its forecast of 2026 earnings that total revenue was expected to range between $200 million and $210 million for the upcoming year. This represents growth between 8% to 13% when compared to 2025 revenue levels. TriLink and Cygnus were projected to record a low single-digit growth rate for the same year.

The target range for the full year 2026 adjusted EBITDA of the company was set at $18-$20 million, along with 120% increase in gross margins compared to the prior year. As per the firm’s Chief Financial Officer, Rajesh Asarpota, operating expenses for the company would be reduced by approximately 13%. It has been revealed that general and administrative expenses will fall by about 18%, and sales and marketing expenses will witness a reduction of about 13%, while there will be an increase in research and development costs.

Maravai LifeSciences Holdings Inc. offers products that help with developing therapeutics, gene therapies, vaccines, and diagnostics. The company is engaged in the production and sales of oligonucleotide therapy and CleanCap capping technology, as well as the production of analytical products used in the biologic manufacturing process. It caters to biopharmaceutical and scientific research companies, and more.

6. Evotec SE (NASDAQ:EVO)

Evotec SE (NASDAQ:EVO) is one of the 8 Best Life Sciences Penny Stocks to Buy.

On March 10, Evotec SE announced Horizon, the follow-up phase in its multi-stage transformation initiative. The Horizon operating model embodies its evolution in the adoption of a new, focused operating model that comprises three elements, i.e., operation, science, and commercial execution.

This new Horizon operating model is aimed at delivering above-market growth and leveraging operations in an environment of normalized demand expectations. Moreover, it will ensure higher standards of scientific and operational performance based on the Priority Reset in 2024 and the mid-term value creation approaches outlined in 2025.

Horizon will streamline its corporate structure, with the realignment of Evotec’s worldwide experience through Centers of Excellence, as well as the appropriate positioning of Evotec’s footprint. The plan envisages optimization of the company’s footprint from 19 locations in 2024 to 14 locations in 2025 to 10 locations within the next two years. This process will be complemented by workforce restructuring up to 800 positions.

According to Evotec CEO Dr. Christian Wojczewski, Horizon marks the next stage in Evotec’s structured transformation journey, enabling the organization to become ready for sustainable, high-quality growth. He stated:

“Horizon represents the next step in Evotec’s structured transformation to position the company for sustainable, high-quality growth. Following the disciplined cost actions implemented over the past two years and the strategic priorities we set in 2025, we are now transforming our operating model. This will enable deeper integration, faster decision making and greater agility for our customers and partners. Horizon positions Evotec for stronger performance through 2027 and lays the foundation for further optimization and intelligent scaling toward 2030.”

Evotec SE is engaged in the research and development of therapeutics. The company offers pharmaceutical products for various healthcare sectors, including oncology, autoimmune, and respiratory, to name a few. It has collaboration agreements with several hospitals and universities, including Mass General Brigham, Harvard, Yale, and more.

5. Cytek Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ:CTKB)

Cytek Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ:CTKB) is one of the 8 Best Life Sciences Penny Stocks to Buy.

As of the April 8 closing, the consensus sentiment around Cytek Biosciences Inc. remained moderately bullish. With 1 Buy rating and 1 Hold rating, the stock has a projected median 1-year price target of $6.25, resulting in an upside of almost 38%.

On April 4, the company shared updates around the Cytek Aurora CS system. This involved a new guide to simplify the procedure to determine the most effective drop charge configurations that can be applied to smaller samples. It also involves Horseradish Peroxidase assay, which can be used to enable researchers to maneuver key parameters for drop charge. The company aims to leverage users who work with small samples to enhance the reliability and accuracy of workflows.

In late February, Cytek Biosciences Inc. rolled out its 2026 revenue guidance of $205 million to $212 million, assuming constant currency exchange rates and no significant change in tariffs. CFO William McCombe added that the range was made in consideration of the improved economic environment in EMEA and the U.S., combined with sustained growth in APAC instrument sales, as well as services and reagents.

The proportion of recurring revenue to revenue was expected to continue growing, driven by increased instrument installations. CFO William McCombe mentioned macroeconomic uncertainty, raw material costs, tariffs, and high operating expenses, with mention of increased material and tariff costs and manufacturing overhead related to duplicated expenses associated with relocating a plant abroad.

Cytek Biosciences Inc. delivers cell analysis tools to support scientific developments in biomedical research and clinical applications. It provides an automated micro-sampling and sample loader system along with conventional flow and image-based flow cytometry. Its extensive portfolio includes flow cytometers, reagent cocktail preparation systems, Aurora and Northern Lights systems, and more.

4. Standard BioTools Inc. (NASDAQ:LAB)

Standard BioTools Inc. (NASDAQ:LAB) is one of the 8 Best Life Sciences Penny Stocks to Buy.

As of the April 8 close, Standard BioTools Inc. had a neutral consensus sentiment. The stock received 2 Hold ratings from analysts, with a projected median 1-year price target of $1.35. This yields an impressive upside potential of more than 52%.

On March 16, Ark Invest revealed changes to some of its existing holdings, including reductions across some of the smaller genomics stocks. The investment management firm exited some portion of its Standard BioTools Inc. holdings.

In late February, Michael Egholm, President & CEO, reflected on the company’s fourth quarter results. He described the passing year as a good one for the company, highlighting that the company was able to beat expectations through efficient processes being followed across the organization.

Egholm also noted that the company has been able to remain focused on efficiency due to the fact that it successfully implemented roughly $40 million worth of cost synergies during the year.

Standard BioTools Inc. is engaged in the production and sales of a variety of consumables, instruments, and services to help scientists and biomedical researchers create medical treatments. The company offers a technological platform that includes CyTOF, Hyperion, and Biomark X9. These platforms are used for advanced molecular and proteomics analysis.

3. Pacific Biosciences of California Inc. (NASDAQ:PACB)

Pacific Biosciences of California Inc. (NASDAQ:PACB) is one of the 8 Best Life Sciences Penny Stocks to Buy.

On March 18, Pacific Biosciences of California Inc. revealed that Basecamp Research, a novel artificial intelligence research lab dedicated to the development of therapeutics, has chosen PacBio’s highly accurate (HiFi) sequencing on the company’s Revio platform. This will be utilized for the delivery of large-scale environmental and associated host metagenomic datasets to enable the Trillion Gene Atlas program. This is a pioneering scientific endeavor that seeks to generate and model biological data at the trillion-gene level.

This collaboration is expected to generate around 100,000 samples that will be extensively sequenced to produce the largest and most diverse metagenomics database compiled to date, covering more than 31 countries on five different continents. With advancements being made in AI modeling to facilitate biological designs, the performance of AI models largely depends on the nature of the datasets used in the training process.

On March 6, Barclays lowered its price target on Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. from $2 to $1.5. The firm also downgraded the rating from Equal Weight to Underweight. This downward revision comes due to the expectations of a difficult market environment in the immediate future.

Amid the competitive launches across the sequencing space, the firm has anticipated a potential pause in the overall demand. Consequently, in the first half of 2026, the company might see a temporary drop in consumable sales, due to clients purposefully postponing their research projects in preparation for the launch of the SPRQ NX platform.

Pacific Biosciences of California Inc. is involved in designing and producing sequencing systems to solve genetically complex problems around the globe. It serves genome centers, public health labs, hospitals, and more by selling them technologies which include single-molecule real-time (SMRT) technology, SMRTbell and Revio, Vega, and Sequel instruments.

2. AbCellera Biologics Inc. (NASDAQ:ABCL)

AbCellera Biologics Inc. (NASDAQ:ABCL) is one of the 8 Best Life Sciences Penny Stocks to Buy.

On March 23, AbCellera Biologics Inc. presented at the 2026 KeyBanc Capital Markets Healthcare Virtual Forum, with Senior Director of Strategic Finance and Investor Relations Martin Hogan covering the company’s drug discovery platform and pipeline development. Hogan provided an interesting insight into the story of about 13 years, which began with investing in technologies for almost a decade for developing capabilities from target nominations through manufacturing of the drug product, all related to antibodies as therapeutic agents.

The speaker argued that the differentiated technology approach taken in drug discovery, along with all the investments made since, in addition to the more than 100 programs that the company was involved in discovering drugs, resulted in establishing the capability of tackling the hardest targets accessible using antibody-based therapies. Not only does this create a downstream stake in programs conducted by the company for their partners, but it also creates a portfolio of internal programs. Recently, the company progressed one of its drugs into Phase II of its clinical study, effectively becoming an integrated mid- to late-stage biotech firm.

According to Hogan, there were four key factors considered during the assessment of each program’s feasibility: derisked science, high unmet medical need and commercial viability, competitive advantage, and a sound path for developing the candidate drugs.

AbCellera Biologics Inc. is involved in the research and development of antibody-based medications to address unmet healthcare needs in the U.S. It has two medicine candidates: ABCL635, which is in Phase 2 of clinical trials, and ABCL575, which is in Phase 1. Additionally, it has partnership agreements with firms, including those with Eli Lilly and Company and AbbVie Inc.

1. OmniAb Inc. (NASDAQ:OABI)

OmniAb Inc. (NASDAQ:OABI) is one of the 8 Best Life Sciences Penny Stocks to Buy.

On March 5, guidance for 2026 revenues for OmniAb Inc. was estimated at $25 million to $30 million, driven by growth in the partner pipeline and launches of the OmniUltra and xPloration products. According to Matthew Foehr, CEO of OmniAb Inc., 2026 will be characterized by the build-up of momentum with special focus on partnering and programs.

Foehr also emphasized launching OmniUltra at the Antibody Engineering Conference as the first and only transgenic chicken platform to express ultra-long CDRH3 on a human antibody framework. According to Foehr, OmniUltra would act as a catalyst for growth through partnerships and revenue growth, while xPloration was aimed at bringing single B-cell screening at a high throughput directly to partners’ laboratories, with the potential of adding to the overall growth.

Considering the remarks given by Kurt Gustafson, the Chief Financial Officer, the projected expenses for 2026 would range from $80 million to $85 million as the company becomes more efficient with its operations. Cash operating expenses are expected to range between $50 million and $55 million, whereas the cash balance by the end of the period is projected between $30 million and $35 million.

OmniAb Inc. provides licenses to pharmaceutical and biotech companies for discovery research technology around various parts of the world. To find the best antibodies and other target-binding proteins for partners’ drug development efforts, the company’s technology platform creates and screens diverse antibody repertoires. Animal-based technologies are also offered by the company.

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