SAN DIEGO, Oct. 3, 2019 /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 awarded South Korean Patent
No. 2010601, entitled METHODS FOR DETECTING NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCE
VARIANTS. The patent provides intellectual property protection for
the Company's Switch-Blocker technology, which is core to Biocept's
Target Selector™ assays for molecular analysis using real-time PCR,
Sanger sequencing and
next-generation sequencing (NGS).
"The issuance of this patent further expands Biocept's
intellectual property protection in Southeast Asia for rare mutation detection and
adds to the portfolio of similar patents issued in the U.S.,
China, Australia, Japan, and Europe," said Lyle
Arnold, Ph.D., Biocept's Chief Scientific Officer. "The
Switch-Blocker technology makes possible the ultra-sensitive
detection of rare genetic events and is especially useful for
detecting rare cancer associated mutations and alterations for use
in Biocept's liquid biopsy assays. This technology works seamlessly
with Biocept's other patented and proprietary technologies for
blood collection, and CTC capture and analysis."
"Expanding U.S. and international patent protection for our
Target Selector™ liquid biopsy platform is an important strategic
focus as we seek to expand our global business through the sale of
assays performed at Biocept and through Research Use Only (RUO)
kits sold for use in a client's own laboratory," said Michael Nall, Biocept's President and CEO. "With
this newly granted patent, we now have 37 issued patents covering
our tests and technologies and we plan to continue to invest in our
intellectual property position by pursuing additional patent
issuances in the future."
About Biocept's Target Selector™ Mutation Enrichment and
Detection Technology
Biocept's "Switch-Blocker" technology allows normal (wild-type)
nucleic acid material, such as normal DNA, to be significantly
blocked from amplification, while allowing genetic alterations
associated with cancer and other diseases to be amplified. This
method increases the detection sensitivity of genetic alterations
such as cancer mutations in low abundance, as the "noise"
associated with normal genetic sequences is significantly reduced.
The Switch-Blocker technology may also reduce the cost of running
assays, such as NGS assays, because 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 from the same
patients. 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.
The Switch-Blocker technology covered by South Korean Patent No.
2010601 further expands on U.S. Patent No. 9,834,817, European
Patent No. 2,705,162, Chinese Patent No. ZL201280032293.0, Japanese
Patent No. 6404118, and Australian Patent No. 2012250516, which are
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.
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 expand our
business globally and expand the adoption of our tests, and the
ability of our tests to provide clinically actionable information
to oncologist and their patients, 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.
Contact:
LHA Investor Relations
Jody Cain
Jcain@lhai.com
310-691-7100
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SOURCE Biocept, Inc.