SAN DIEGO, April 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Biocept, Inc.
(NASDAQ: BIOC), a leading commercial provider of liquid biopsy
tests designed to provide physicians with clinically actionable
information to improve the outcomes of patients diagnosed with
cancer, announces that it has been granted Australia Patent number:
2017268486, titled, METHODS FOR DETECTING NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCE
VARIANTS. The patent provides intellectual property protection for
Biocept's Primer-Switch technology that is useful for ctDNA
analysis using real-time PCR and associated analysis methods,
including next-generation sequencing (NGS).
"The issuance of this patent expands Biocept's intellectual
property protection for rare mutation detection," said Lyle Arnold, Ph.D., Biocept's Chief Scientific
Officer. "The Primer-Switch is a method for the detection of rare
genetic events and is an addition to our Switch-Blocker technology,
which is routinely used with our ctDNA Target Selector™ assays.
This is the first issued patent for the Primer-Switch technology,
which we believe will achieve worldwide patent protection. It
provides another tool in Biocept's toolkit of methods to inform on
biomarkers to aid physician decision-making in the treatment of
cancer patients."
The recently issued Australia
patent is another method for specifically enriching patient
specimens for oncogene mutations of interest. The Primer-Switch
technology is used as part of PCR reactions, which are core to the
most commonly used method of amplification in diagnostic assays.
Primer-Switch methodology has the potential to find wide use in PCR
reactions, especially where the detection of rare genetic events is
needed, or in cases where more precise PCR amplifications are
desired.
"The expansion of our intellectual property continues the global
validation of our technology and further positions Biocept as a
provider of cutting-edge approaches for the detection of rare
genetic events using blood and other fluids," stated Michael Nall, Biocept's President and CEO. "We
continue to develop innovative products and technologies such as
Primer-Switch to stay ahead of the curve in liquid biopsy
technology."
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
outcomes of patients diagnosed with cancer, the utility and
effectiveness of our intellectual property protections, our ability
to achieve worldwide patent protection for our Primer-Switch
technology, and our ability to expand the adoption of our tests
globally, 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
sec.gov.
Investor Contact:
LHA Investor
Relations
Jody Cain
Jcain@lhai.com
310-691-7100
Media Contact:
CORE IR
Jules Abraham
julesa@coreir.com
917-885-7378
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SOURCE Biocept, Inc.