Biocept, Inc., a molecular oncology diagnostics company specializing in biomarker analysis of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumour cells (CTCs), announced that it has entered into a clinical collaboration with University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Centre, to determine the clinical utility of detecting biomarkers present in CTCs and ctDNA in blood samples for non-small cell lung cancer patients using Biocept's OncoCEE LU platform and CEE-Selector technology.

Biocept offers a highly sensitive and quantitative blood-based method for the detection and monitoring of cancer mutations, which can help inform treatment decisions based on genomic information. The Company is engaged in clinical study collaborations designed to demonstrate the utility of its liquid biopsy diagnostics to detect biomarker status in cancer patients, and for the assessment of tumour treatment response over time.

"Genetic alterations and mutations are observed in non-small cell lung cancer, the most prevalent of all lung cancers. We are interested in determining and monitoring the molecular status in patients with lung cancer who are progressing despite treatment with first-line therapy," said Hatim Husain, MD, an assistant professor of hematology-oncology at University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center. "A serious clinical challenge in treating this disease is to obtain lung tissue biopsies. Severe complications from these biopsy procedures can occur and are associated with significant cost. A blood-based liquid biopsy could reduce the need to conduct lung tissue biopsies, and also offers the ability to obtain critical genomic information for improved patient management on a more frequent basis", he added.

"Thanks to rapid advances in precision medicine, clinicians and researchers understanding of lung cancer biology and the underlying genetic alterations that drive it, is growing," said Michael Nall, CEO of Biocept. "Select targeted drug therapies are currently available and many other therapies are in clinical trials. These therapies are designed to treat cancer patients with specific genetic alterations. Our blood tests enable physicians to detect and monitor genetic changes of a patient's tumor over time in order to most effectively treat the cancer, forgoing the need for an invasive surgical biopsy. As cancer becomes a chronic disease, we believe that the clinical information provided by our blood test ordered either at the time of diagnosis or during treatment for monitoring will improve the efficacy of targeted cancer treatment and help provide solutions for the issue of acquired resistance."

"By monitoring the levels of the resistance markers using Biocept's highly sensitive blood test, the recurrence of disease in patients being treated with targeted therapies becomes more predictable," said Lyle Arnold, senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for Biocept. "Having accurate, sensitive and quantifiable current genomic information related to a patient's tumour is a major advance and we believe it will become the standard of care."