Biocept and Academic Collaborators to Present Posters at San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs)

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Biocept, Inc. today reported that its scientists and academic collaborators will present three posters at the 34th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) taking place in San Antonio, TX December 6-10, 2011. The poster presentations describe data generated on Biocept's proprietary OncoCEE™ (Oncology Cell Enrichment and Extraction) platform, which enables efficient CTC capture and detection, as well as biomarker analysis on the captured CTCs (e.g., HER2, ER and PR status), as demonstrated in the posters.  These data represent findings from several studies involving blood and bone marrow samples from patients with breast cancer.

Farideh Bischoff, PhD, Vice President of Translational Research at Biocept, said, "Our posters present data that demonstrates our ability to detect estrogen receptor in CTCs, which can be clinically useful in patients for whom a biopsy is not feasible, and validation for HER2 FISH analysis performed on CTCs that are cytokeratin (CK) positive and, more importantly, CK negative.  Additionally, a collaborative poster presented with colleagues from the MD Anderson Cancer Center compares the detection of HER2 gene amplification in CTCs in blood and disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in bone marrow in patients with non-metastatic breast cancer.  We think that Biocept's OncoCEE-BR™ assay for breast cancer, used for these studies, is ideal for the immunocytochemical, cytogenetic and molecular characterization of CTCs and DTCs, may be an important and clinically significant tool."  

Additional details for the SABCS presentations are as follows:

Wednesday, Dec 7, 5:00 – 7:00 PM (PI-07-13)
Efficiency of a Laboratory Developed HER2 FISH Test on Circulating Tumor Cells

Friday, Dec 9, 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM (P 4-06-03)
Detection of HER2 gene amplification in circulating tumor cells and disseminated tumor cells by fluorescence in situ hybridization using OncoCEE™

Friday, Dec 9, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM (P5-01-08)
Immunocytochemistry staining of estrogen receptor in circulating tumor cells as compared to primary tumor

About Biocept, Inc.

Biocept, headquartered in San Diego, California, is an advanced diagnostic services company that operates a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited testing laboratory specializing in the capture, detection, enumeration and molecular analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Biocept is dedicated to positively impacting the lives of cancer patients through the development of innovative diagnostic products and services. Biocept utilizes innovative and proprietary technologies to deliver clinically relevant and actionable information to physicians that enable better patient care. This includes clinical assessments of CTCs, both prognostic and predictive with respect to different therapies, which may provide physicians with information to better treat their patients with cancer.

Biocept's CEE™ Platform

Biocept is developing the proprietary CEE™ (cell enrichment and extraction) platform, and a family of specialized CTC tests (OncoCEE™), which will be provided as a service to physicians and patients, as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, through Biocept's CLIA laboratory.  The CEE™ platform is comprised of microfluidic capture channels and associated instrumentation, antibody capture cocktails, CEE-Enhanced™ staining technology and biomarker assays performed on CTCs captured in the channels.  CTCs are extremely rare, and may be present in only 1 of every 50-100 billion blood cells, which is why their capture is challenging.  Biocept obtains patient samples via a simple blood draw, or "liquid biopsy", instead of relying on traditional biopsy methods or surgical procedures. Samples are drawn into Biocept's unique CEE-Sure™ tubes, and shipped to its testing laboratory.

www.biocept.com

SOURCE Biocept, Inc.