Brazil Patent Granted for Biocept's Target Selectorâ„¢ Oncogene Mutation Enrichment and Detection Platform

Expands global intellectual property portfolio for highly sensitive methods of detecting cancer biomarkers in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and other genetic alterations of interest; increases Biocept's total patent awards for technologies used in molecular diagnostics to 39

San Diego, April 9, 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 Brazil Patent No. BR112013028296-7, titled, METHODS FOR DETECTING NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCE VARIANTS. The patent provides intellectual property protection for the Switch-Blocker technology that is core to Biocept's Target Selector™ assays for ctDNA analysis using real-time PCR, Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing (NGS).

"The issuance of this patent further expands Biocept's global intellectual property protection for rare mutation detection, which already includes the U.S., South Korea, 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 our liquid biopsy assays. This technology works seamlessly with our other technologies for blood collection and CTC capture and analysis."

The recently issued Brazilian patent encompasses Biocept's Switch-Blocker technology, which specifically enriches patient specimens for oncogene mutations of interest, resulting in ultra-high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of cancer-associated alterations. The Switch-Blocker is designed to improve detection rates for rare genetic alterations, including biomarkers in patients diagnosed with cancer, allowing physicians to make informed decisions for therapy selection and to monitor treatment response, progression or recurrence over time.

"We are pleased to be granted this Brazilian patent covering our Switch-Blocker technology, which increases our total patent portfolio to 39 as we continue to expand our global intellectual property protection," stated Michael Nall, Biocept's President and CEO. 

About Biocept's ctDNA Target Selector™ Technology

The "Switch-Blocker" technology covered by Brazilian Patent No. BR112013028296-7 further expands on South Korean Patent No. 2010601, Japanese Patent No 6404118, European Patent No. 2,705,162, U.S. Patent No. 9,834,817, Chinese Patent No. ZL201280032293.0 and Australian Patent No. 2012250516, that are applicable to a broad range of molecular genomic platforms, including real-time PCR, digital PCR, Sanger sequencing, NGS, arrays, mass-spec, capillary detection systems, and many others. The 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. Biocept's 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.

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.

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