Biocept Awarded US Patent for proprietary Primer-Switch Mutation Detection and Amplification Improvement Platform Used to Detect Rare Cell Mutations, Including Cancer Biomarkers

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 18, 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, announces that it has been granted US Patent number: 10,745,749, entitled METHODS FOR DETECTING NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCE VARIANTS.  The patent provides intellectual property protection for Primer-Switch technology, which is useful for the detection of rare cell mutations using  circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis through real-time PCR and associated analysis methods, including next-generation sequencing (NGS).

The issuance of this patent expands Biocept's intellectual property protection for the detection of rare mutations, including cancer biomarkers found in tissue, blood and cerebrospinal fluid.  This is the second issued patent for the Primer-Switch technology, and is another step in Biocept's pursuit of worldwide patent protection for this technology.  The Primer-Switch technology provides another method for specifically enriching patient specimens for oncogene mutations of interest.  Additionally, the Primer-Switch technology can be used to enhance the performance and specificity of the PCR method, which is the most widely used amplification approach used in diagnostic assays.  

"Our Primer-Switch methodology has the potential to find rare mutations in PCR reactions, especially where the detection of rare genetic events is needed, or in cases where more precise PCR amplification reactions are desired or required," said Michael Nall, Biocept's President and CEO. "This technology builds upon our ability to detect rare genetic events in addition to our Switch-Blocker technology, which we routinely use in our ctDNA Target Selectortm assays.  This is another tool in our toolkit for methods to inform on biomarkers found in tissue, blood and cerebrospinal fluid to aid physician decision making in the treatment of their patients with cancer."

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 Selectortm 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. In addition, Biocept recently added COVID-19 testing to support efforts to fight the pandemic. For additional information, please visit www.biocept.com.

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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 and the utility and effectiveness of our intellectual property protections, 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 http://www.sec.gov/.

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SOURCE Biocept, Inc.