SAN DIEGO - Biocept Inc., a molecular diagnostics company commercializing and developing liquid biopsies to improve the detection and treatment of cancer, announced in a press release the award of a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office covering the use of a novel stain in the detection of rare cells such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood and other biological fluids. US Patent 9,347,946 entitled METHODS AND REAGENTS FOR SIGNAL AMPLIFICATION will publish on May 24, 2016.
"With the issuance of this patent, we have now completed our patent portfolio to include all key components central to our Cell Enrichment and Extraction (CEE™) platform for the transport, capture, enrichment, identification and analysis of CTCs from blood samples and other biological fluids," said Lyle Arnold, Ph.D., Biocept's Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. "We have corresponding patents either granted or pending on a worldwide basis."
The newly issued patent covers a staining method employed in the CEE platform that provides for the high-efficiency capture, visualization and microscopic analysis of targeted cells that are obtained from biofluid samples. This patent interfaces well with Biocept's previously granted patents using antibody cocktails to bind to and capture CTCs, and completes the coverage of Biocept's core CTC platform. The components of the platform are as follows: 1) A unique preservative in a proprietary collection tube used for analyzing cancer materials from fluids including blood; 2) antibody cocktails used for rare cell capture in biofluids; 3) microchannels for rare cell enrichment and analysis including CTCs; and 4) a unique cell-staining method used to identify targets captured in the microchannel, which is the subject of this patent.
"We have been aggressively broadening our IP protection for our unique methods of capturing and analyzing cancer cells in blood and other biological fluids," said Biocept's President and CEO Michael Nall. "Our expanding portfolio of U.S. and international patents better positions Biocept to capitalize on the growing movement toward the use of liquid biopsy, which can reduce healthcare system costs and, importantly, help physician in treatment decision-making for their patients with cancer."