Biocept launches its CNSide cerebrospinal fluid assay for early detection of metastatic brain cancer

Biocept Inc (NASDAQ:BIOC) (FRA:B003) announced the full commercial launch of CNSide, the company’s cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) assay designed to better detect and manage the treatment of metastatic cancers involving the central nervous system (CNS).   The company said the assay, which was initially introduced in January 2020, has the ability to offer a timely and accurate method to diagnose disease, identify actionable biomarkers, and assess response to therapy, potentially impacting life expectancy and quality of life.  “The full salesforce launch of our CSF assay, along with new branding, is an exciting next step toward our goal of establishing CNSide as a new standard-of-care diagnostic test for cerebrospinal fluid,” Biocept CEO Michael Nall said in a statement.    READ: Biocept changing the way physicians examine blood work for their cancer patients and doing coronavirus testing “Initial acceptance by neuro-oncology early-adopters has been highly encouraging as physicians from nearly two dozen leading academic institutions have ordered CNSide — with many becoming repeat users,” Nall added.   “This represents a significant market opportunity that we estimate at more than $1 billion annually in the United States for breast and lung cancers that have metastasized to the central nervous system.” Biocept also noted that in 2020, it presented highly favorable results from pilot studies with the assay at three major scientific meetings, which showed that in about 80% of the cases of suspected CNS involvement, tumor cells were detected using the CNSide assay, compared with about 50% of cases examined by CSF cytology. It added that the assay is currently validated to identify metastatic cancers originating in the lung and breast. The company said it plans to expand its CSF testing menu for additional tumor types and biomarkers in the future. Biocept is a molecular diagnostics company focused on changing the way physicians examine blood in their patients with cancer. The San Diego-based company sells CEE-Sure blood collection tubes and has also developed a patented liquid biopsy technology called Target Selector that detects and isolates cancer biomarkers such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com