Investors looking for stocks with explosive growth potential would do well to take a gander at the biotech industry. Clinical and regulatory wins can fuel excellent stock market performances for companies in the sector in a relatively short period, say a year. But short-term gains alone aren't enough to make a company in any industry a buy, at least for investors focused on the long term.

With that in mind, let's look at two biotechs that have crushed the market this year: CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) and Krystal Biotech (NASDAQ: KRYS). Both companies could see even more gains in the coming months, but is that enough to make them solid long-term picks? Let's find out. 

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics are up by a cool 43% since the year started, and most of these gains are due to the company's leading pipeline program, exa-cel. Together with its partner Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the gene-editing specialist completed regulatory submissions for exa-cel in the U.S. and Europe, developments which helped lift its stock price.

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Source Fool.com