Australia Patent Issued for Primer-Switch Mutation Detection and Amplification Platform

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.

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SOURCE Biocept, Inc.