Biocept and University of California, Irvine to Study Blood-based Liquid Biopsy Testing in Cancer Patients

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Biocept, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIOC), a molecular diagnostics company commercializing and developing liquid biopsies to improve the detection and treatment of cancer, today announced a collaboration with the University of California, Irvine to evaluate biomarkers detected from blood-based versus invasive tissue biopsies in patients with metastatic cancers. The collaboration is aimed at validating the use of liquid biopsies to qualify patients for available targeted therapies and to establish a framework for serial monitoring of tumor mutations during cancer treatment to help identify early indicators of resistance to therapy.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend testing of key biomarkers in patients with lung cancer such as EGFR, ALK and ROS1. Test results from these biomarkers are used to qualify patients for targeted therapies that have demonstrated improved survival, such as Roche's Tarceva^® for patients with EGFR+ lung cancer and Pfizer's Xalkori^® for patients with ALK+ lung cancer. Current testing methods rely on tumor tissue from invasive biopsy and/or surgical tissue removal. Both procedures can entail significant patient risk and healthcare expense. Further, tissue biopsies can fail to contain adequate tumor tissue for biomarker analyses. In these instances, it is believed that a blood-based liquid biopsy, such as those offered by Biocept, can provide accurate biomarker information to better guide therapy.

"We expect that our collaboration with the University of California, Irvine will provide further clinical validation for the use of Biocept's liquid biopsy biomarker assays in patients with advanced cancers, including metastatic lung cancer," said Veena Singh, M.D., Senior Vice President and Senior Medical Director of Biocept. "Our ability to test for well-recognized and clinically validated biomarkers utilizing our liquid biopsy platform provides a great advantage to patients both in monitoring and at the time of diagnosis when tumor tissue may be insufficient for additional testing or for therapy alteration due to the well-documented issue of tumor heterogeneity."

"We are very excited to work closely with the University of California, Irvine and other leading institutions to further validate our technology," said Michael Nall, President and Chief Executive Officer of Biocept. "We believe our liquid biopsy approach will save healthcare dollars and, more importantly, provide information to physicians to qualify more patients for targeted therapies that can result in saving and extending lives."

About Biocept

Biocept, Inc. is a commercial-stage molecular diagnostics company that utilizes a proprietary technology platform and a standard blood sample to provide physicians with important prognostic and predictive information to enhance individual treatment of patients with cancer. Biocept's patented technology platform captures and analyzes circulating tumor DNA, both in CTCs and in plasma (ctDNA). Biocept currently offers assays for Melanoma, OncoCEE-GA™ for gastric cancer, OncoCEE-BR™ for breast cancer and OncoCEE-LU™ for non-small cell lung cancer, and plans to introduce CLIA-validated tests for colorectal, prostate and other solid tumors in the near term.

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 validate the use of liquid biopsies for targeted therapies, the ability to identify indicators of resistance to therapy, our liquid biopsy technology providing accurate biomarker information, the results of our collaboration with the University of California, Irvine, improvement of outcomes, our impact on diagnostic strategies and healthcare costs and planned future offerings, 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 www.sec.gov.

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Source: Biocept, Inc.

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