SAN DIEGO, Dec. 5, 2017 /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 the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 9,834,817,
entitled METHODS FOR DETECTING NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCE VARIANTS. The
patent is core to Biocept's Target Selector™ assays for ctDNA
analysis using real-time PCR, Sanger sequencing and next generation
sequencing (NGS).
The patent encompasses Biocept's proprietary "switch-blocker"
technology, which enriches patient specimens for oncogene mutations
of interest, resulting in ultra-high sensitivity and specificity
for the detection of cancer-associated mutations. The switch
blocker technology is designed to improve detection rates for these
oncogenes, allowing physicians to make informed decisions for the
selection of therapy and monitoring of treatment response over time
for patients with cancer.
"The issuance of this patent signals what we believe is the
first in a series of worldwide patents protecting our proprietary,
highly sensitive ctDNA platform technology," said Lyle Arnold, Ph.D., Biocept's Chief Scientific
Officer. "When combined with our patents and technology related to
CTC capture and analysis as well as our blood transport tubes,
Biocept has significant coverage protecting all three of its core
liquid biopsy technology platforms."
Michael Nall, Biocept's President
and CEO, added, "Biocept remains differentiated in the liquid
biopsy field by using both ctDNA and CTC analysis on patient
samples to detect and monitor actionable cancer biomarkers that are
listed in the NCCN guidelines. Both of our platform technologies
offer specialized enrichment methods that can aid physicians in
making more informed decisions in the treatment of their patients
with cancer. Obtaining this new intellectual property provides
additional patent protection for the unique and novel features of
our Target Selector™ dual platform approach."
About ctDNA Target Selector™ Technology
The "switch-blocker" technology covered by U.S. Patent No.
9,834,817 is applicable to a broad range of molecular genomic
platforms, including real-time PCR, digital PCR, Sanger sequencing, NGS, arrays, mass-spec, and
capillary detection systems. This technology allows normal
(wild-type) nucleic acid material such as normal DNA to be
significantly blocked from amplification, while genetic alterations
associated with cancer are able to be amplified. This method
greatly increases the detection sensitivity of genetic alterations
such as cancer mutations in low abundance, as the "noise"
associated with normal genetic sequences is largely eliminated.
Biocept's switch-blocker technology also has the advantage of
reducing the cost of running assays, like NGS assays, by
approximately 100-1,000-fold, since the expense of sequencing large
amounts of uninformative wild-type nucleic acid is eliminated.
In clinical validation studies, Biocept has demonstrated, with a
high degree of correlation, the ability to detect the same
biomarkers in blood that were identified from tissue biopsy of
solid tumors. Using a blood specimen to provide information on
biomarkers found on solid tumors offers the benefits of reducing
the risks and costs of biopsy relative to tissue, has convenience
advantages, and can enable the ability to non-invasively conduct
serial monitoring of patient specimens over time.
About Biocept
Biocept, Inc. is a molecular diagnostics
company with commercialized assays for lung, breast, gastric,
colorectal and prostate cancers, and melanoma. The Company
leverages its proprietary liquid biopsy technology to provide
physicians with clinically actionable information for treating and
monitoring patients diagnosed with cancer. Biocept's patented
Target Selector™ liquid biopsy technology platforms capture and
analyze tumor-associated molecular markers on 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
news 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
be 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 news release are not strictly historical,
including, without limitation, statements as to our ability to
improve the outcomes of cancer patients, the utility and
effectiveness of our intellectual property protections, our ability
to obtain additional patents in the future covering our proprietary
liquid biopsy technology, and the perceived benefits of our
proprietary liquid biopsy technology, 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 news 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 at www.sec.gov
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SOURCE Biocept, Inc.