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Biocept's Target Selector oncogene mutation detection platform wins a patent from Brazil

Published: 09:55 09 Apr 2020 EDT

Biocept Inc - Biocept's Target Selector oncogene mutation detection platform wins a patent from Brazil
The Brazilian patent increases Biocept's total patent portfolio to 39 as it continues to boost intellectual property protection globally

Biocept Inc (NASDAQ:BIOC), a molecular diagnostics company said Thursday that Brazil has granted it a patent for its liquid biopsy technology called Target Selector which detects cancer biomarkers.

In a statement, the San Diego-based company said Brazil had granted it Patent Number BR112013028296-7, for methods for detecting nucleic acid sequence variants.

It expands Biocept’s global intellectual property portfolio for highly sensitive methods of detecting cancer biomarkers in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). It also increases Biocept's total patent awards for its technologies used in molecular diagnostics to 39.

Specifically, the company said 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 polymerase chain reaction, Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing.”

READ: Biocept is changing the way physicians examine blood work for their cancer patients

“The issuance of this patent further expands Biocept's global intellectual property protection for rare mutation detection, which already includes the US, South Korea, China, Australia, Japan, and Europe," said Biocept chief scientific officer Lyle Arnold.

"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," he added.

Biocept's switch-blocker technology is aimed at improving detection rates for rare genetic alterations, including cancer biomarkers, allowing doctors 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," said Biocept CEO Michael Nall.

Biocept is a molecular diagnostics company with assays for lung, breast, gastric, colorectal and prostate cancers, and melanoma. The company's patented Target Selector liquid biopsy technology platform captures and analyzes tumor-associated molecular markers in both circulating tumor cells and in circulating tumor DNA. 

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive 

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