Biocept to Present Data at RAS-Targeted Drug Development Summit Showing Ability of Its Switch-BlockerTM Technology to Detect Rare Cancer Mutations

Biocept (Nasdaq: BIOC), a leading provider of molecular diagnostic assays and services, will present data on its Target Selector assay formats for the ultra-sensitive detection of KRAS mutations using Switch-Blocker technology, which provides advantages for the assessment of therapeutic tumor response and is cost effective for serial monitoring. Biocept’s presentation is on Sept. 23 at 2:00 p.m. EDT at the Third Annual RAS-Targeted Drug Development Summit, where the company will also host a virtual booth from Sept. 21-23, 2021.

The Summit brings together academic and biopharmaceutical leaders to share insights and data to advance the successful development of targeted monotherapies and combination strategies for RAS-driven cancers. RAS proteins are frequently mutated in cancers. In particular, KRAS mutations are present in approximately 25% of tumors, making them one of the most common gene mutations linked to cancer. They are drivers of some of the deadliest cancers, including lung, colorectal and pancreatic. As a result, there is significant interest among the biopharmaceutical and medical communities to develop and study new, highly targeted therapies to treat such cancers.

To support these efforts, Biocept offers flexible molecular testing solutions based on advanced technology, including its proprietary Switch-Blocker technology. The company’s Target Selector assays and kits, combined with its Switch-Blocker technology, enables the development of superior assays to detect and characterize genetic alterations in patients with cancer. Switch-Blockers enrich for oncogenic mutations while suppressing wild-type (normal) DNA, resulting in ultra-high sensitivity and specificity.

Biocept’s assays can be used to detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in tissue, blood and cerebrospinal fluid. For liquid biopsy applications, Switch-Blocker technology offers a 50- to 100-fold increase in mutant allele frequency of detection compared to conventional next-generation sequencing (NGS) and has been validated to 0.02% in blood. The technology offers similar analytical advantages in tissue, with the additional benefit of potentially reducing the Quantity Not Sufficient (QNS) rate because of the assay’s low sample input requirement compared to NGS-based assays.