SAN DIEGO, Dec. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Biocept, Inc.
(NASDAQ: BIOC), a leading commercial provider of clinically
actionable liquid biopsy tests to improve the management of cancer
patients, announces that clinical data featuring its Target
Selector™ Circulating Tumor Cell platform demonstrated high
concordance to tissue biopsy for the detection of actionable
biomarkers in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The results
from research sponsored by Sara Cannon Research Institute (SCRI),
the research arm of Sarah Cannon,
the global cancer enterprise of Hospital Corporation of
America, were presented in a poster at the 2016 San Antonio Breast
Cancer Symposium held in San Antonio,
Texas.
The poster entitled, "Using the Target Selector™ platform to
evaluate biomarker alterations in circulating tumor cells isolated
from patients with metastatic breast cancer," was presented by
Denise A. Yardley, M.D., Senior
Investigator of the Breast Cancer Research Program at SCRI, and
Medical Oncologist at Tennessee Oncology. The study evaluated 74
late-stage breast cancer patients whose metastatic tumors had been
molecularly characterized using tissue biopsies, and the data
showed that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were detected in nearly
all patients (73/74). Biocept's proprietary platform differentiated
between patients whose CTCs had cytokeratin positive (CK+)
expression (62%) and those with only cytokeratin negative CTCs
(38%). Despite significant latency in most cases between the time
of tissue biopsy and the time of testing with Biocept's liquid
biopsy assay, results showed high concordance of key biomarkers in
patients with CK+ expression. Results for individual biomarkers
found in these patients were:
- 84% concordance for ER expression
- 93% concordance for HER2 amplification
- 79% concordance for FGFR1 amplification
The capability of Biocept's Target Selector™ platform to
distinguish between CK+ and CK- cells enables the ability to track
these CTC subtypes contemporaneously as a potential prognostic
indicator.
"The identification of circulating tumor cells in nearly all
patients in this study and the high concordance between Biocept's
blood-based assay and archival tissue samples for detecting
actionable biomarkers in patients with CK+ CTCs are encouraging,"
said Dr. Yardley. "This methodology has potential to be used
as an alternative to tissue biopsy when tumor biopsy material is
insufficient or not readily available under certain circumstances,
such as metastases to the bone. Additionally, the liquid biopsy
tests afford the ability to assess and monitor key biomarkers in
advanced breast cancer patients and potentially detect changes in
tumor phenotype that can occur over time."
"These study results demonstrate that our non-invasive assay
platform can address important medical needs in the management of
metastatic breast cancer, namely the ability to establish biomarker
status when tissue biopsy is challenging or not possible, as well
as providing the ability to detect actionable alterations in
real-time as metastatic disease progresses," said Veena Singh, M.D., Biocept's Senior Vice
President and Senior Medical Director. "We are very pleased with
the concordance results observed in this study, as well as our
ability to detect CTCs in most patients to help physicians select
the best treatment approach".
"We are proud to present these data from our clinical
collaboration with SCRI, which we announced in mid-2015," added
Michael W. Nall, President &
Chief Executive Officer of Biocept. "This is yet another step in
validating the clinical utility of our Target Selector™ platform,
which uses a simple blood sample to inform physicians about the
molecular status of a patients' cancer, potentially leading to
improved treatment outcomes. Building clinical evidence to support
the use of our proprietary liquid biopsy platform is an important
component of our strategy to increase physician adoption of our
assays."
About the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
The 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium is designed to
provide state-of-the-art information on the experimental biology,
etiology, prevention, diagnosis and therapy of breast cancer and
premalignant breast disease to an international audience of
physicians and researchers. The symposium is directed primarily
toward academic and private physicians and researchers involved in
breast cancer in medical, surgical, gynecologic and radiation
oncology, as well as other appropriate health care professionals.
Approximately 7,500 attendees from more than 90 countries are
expected to have attended the 2016 symposium.
About Sarah Cannon Research Institute
Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) is a global
strategic research organization focusing on advancing therapies for
patients. It is one of the world's leading clinical research
programs, conducting community-based clinical trials in oncology
and cardiology through affiliations with a network of more than
1,000 physicians in the United States and United
Kingdom. Additionally, SCRI offers management, regulatory, and
other research support services for drug development and industry
sponsors and strategic investigator sites.
About Biocept
Biocept, Inc. is a molecular diagnostics company with
commercialized assays for lung, breast, gastric, colorectal and
prostate cancers, and melanoma. The Company uses its proprietary
liquid biopsy technology to provide physicians with clinically
actionable information for treating and monitoring patients
diagnosed with cancer. The Company's patented Target Selector™
liquid biopsy technology platform captures and analyzes
tumor-associated molecular markers in both circulating tumor cells
(CTCs) and in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). With thousands of
tests performed, the platform has demonstrated the ability to
identify cancer mutations and alterations to inform physicians
about a patient's disease and therapeutic options. For additional
information, please visit www.biocept.com.
Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements that are based
upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of
assumptions about future events. Although we believe that the
expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the
assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, we can give
no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to
have been correct. Forward-looking statements are generally
identifiable by the use of words like "may," "will," "should,"
"could," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend,"
or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on
these words or comparable terminology. To the extent that
statements in this release are not strictly historical, including
without limitation statements as to our ability to improve the
management of cancer patients and improve treatment outcomes, the
ability of our platform to serve as a prognostic indicator and
detect changes in tumor phenotypes, and our ability to increase
physician adoption of our assays, such statements are
forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to
numerous risk factors as set forth in our Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. The effects of such risks
and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially
from the forward-looking statements contained in this release. We
do not plan to update any such forward-looking statements and
expressly disclaim any duty to update the information contained in
this press release except as required by law. Readers are advised
to review our filings with the SEC, which can be accessed over
the Internet at the SEC's website located
at www.sec.gov.
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