Biocept receives European patent covering antibody usage in capture of rare cells

Biocept, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIOC), a molecular diagnostics company commercializing and developing liquid biopsies to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, announces that the European Patent Office has awarded the patent, "DEVICES AND METHODS OF CELL CAPTURE AND ANALYSIS," as announced in the European Bulletin dated November 11, 2015. The patent covers the use of antibodies in the capture of rare cells, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), from blood as well as other biological fluids using the company's patented microchannel capture device.

Biocept's antibody capture cocktail along with the microchannel are key components of the company's Cell Enrichment and Extraction (CEE™) platform, providing for the high-efficiency capture, visualization and microscopic analysis of targeted cancer cells obtained from a patient blood sample and used by physicians for medical decision-making.

Lyle Arnold, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Biocept, said, "The issuance of this patent further expands our international patent portfolio to include the use of antibodies in the capture of cancer cells in combination with our microchannel for which multiple U.S. and international patents have been granted. Our antibody cocktail is a key part of our patented, proprietary method to capture and analyze cells from a wide variety of tumor types. In addition, this patent expands our IP protection for the use of a simple blood sample and other biological sample types in obtaining valuable biomarker information that can be used by physicians to personalize the treatment of patients with cancer."

"We have been aggressively broadening IP protection for our unique methods of capturing and analyzing cancer cells in blood and other biological fluids," said Biocept's President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Nall. "Our expanding patent portfolio better positions Biocept to capitalize on the growing movement toward the use of liquid biopsy, which we believe can reduce healthcare costs and improve outcomes by identifying patients who can qualify for targeted treatments that physicians can utilize to treat their cancer."

SOURCE Biocept, Inc.