NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Biocept today announced a new collaboration with University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center aimed at determining the clinical utility of the company's liquid biopsy technology in detecting biomarkers present in circulating tumor cells and cell-free DNA in the blood of non-small cell lung cancer patients.
Biocept's OncoCEE LU platform and CEE-Selector technology allow highly sensitive, quantitative blood-based detection of cancer mutations, which can be used by clinicians to inform personalized treatment decisions based on genomic information.
OncoCEE LU, launched last fall, detects alterations of the ALK gene in individuals with non-small cell lung cancer. A NSCLC patient's ALK status can help determine whether he or she will respond to ALK inhibitors.
In January, Biocept also announced the launch of two other blood-based tests for NSCLC patients through its CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory — an EGFR mutation assay, and a test for ROS1 rearrangements.
Hatim Husain, an assistant professor of hematology-oncology at the Moores Cancer Center, said in a statement that obtaining biopsies in NSCLC is "a serious clinical challenge" in treating the disease.
"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.