Biocept partners with Quest Diagnostics to provide its Target Selector NGS-based liquid biopsy testing for lung cancer

Biocept Inc (NASDAQ:BIOC) (FRA:B003) has announced a collaboration with Quest Diagnostics Inc (NYSE:DGX) (FRA:QDI) to provide laboratory testing services to Quest patients for its Target Selector NGS-based liquid biopsy targeted lung cancer panel.   Biocept said both companies expect the service to be available to Quest’s providers and patients in the fourth quarter of 2021.   With a physician order, Biocept added that patients will be able to provide a blood specimen for testing at one of Quest’s 2,200 conveniently located patient service centers across the US. Quest is a leading provider of diagnostic information services. READ: Biocept says it has received 420,000 coronavirus tests since June 2020; readies flu testing for the fall The Biocept Target Selector NGS-based liquid biopsy assay is a less invasive, lab-developed test that can be used for genomic profiling in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to help qualify them for advanced targeted therapies and monitor the effectiveness of treatment.  "We are pleased to expand Biocept’s relationship with Quest Diagnostics, as we believe its expertise and reach will allow us to serve more patients and potentially grow our customer base,” said Biocept CEO Michael Nall in a statement. “Quest shares our focus on improving care for patients with lung cancer, and this agreement provides a strong collaborator to help us provide oncologists with the answers they need to create more personalized, responsive treatment plans for their patients.” Kristie Dolan, general manager of Quest’s oncology franchise, noted that lung cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadliest of cancers. “Better tools to aid in therapy selection and monitoring are urgently needed to improve patient outcomes, which is why we are so excited to work with Biocept on this focused test,” Dolan said. “Quest has the national scale, oncology expertise and network provider relationships to broaden access to this important innovation in order to potentially improve care for patients in treatment for lung cancer." Biocept said its Target Selector NGS-based targeted lung cancer panel includes the most prevalent clinically actionable genes for NSCLC. It combines the company’s liquid biopsy biomarker testing expertise with next-generation sequencing and decision support resources.  The NGS solution is targeted and actionable -- about 70% of the biomarkers investigated are based on National Comprehensive Cancer Center guidelines and/or US Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies, the company said. Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham