Biocept Inc (NASDAQ:BIOC) has announced the appointment of Antonino Morales as its president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.
Morales, who has been serving as the company's interim chief financial officer since February 2022 and as a director of the company since July 2021, will now take on the leadership role.
Robert Walsh, the company's controller, has been promoted to vice president and controller and will assume the position of the company's principal accounting officer.
The changes come after the resignation of Samuel D. Riccitelli as interim president and chief executive officer, as well as a director.
In a statement, M. Faye Wilson, the Biocept board chair, commented: “We are delighted that Antonino has accepted the chief executive position at Biocept following the instrumental role he played in redirecting the business to focus exclusively on our proprietary cerebrospinal fluid assay CNSide. Antonino shares the Board’s passion for advancing the clinical development of CNSide and improving the lives of patients with advanced cancer."
Morales added: “I’m fully committed to the FORESEE clinical trial and generating the data necessary to establish CNSide as the standard of care. We intend to build on steps already taken to right-size the Company and continue to take measures to extend our cash runway as we advance the FORESEE trial. I’m delighted to report that enrollment is running ahead of our forecast.”
Morales brings over 30 years of executive leadership experience to his new role, with a background in companies such as Citibank, Bank of America, and Mazda North America. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Southern California and is a licensed CPA.
Biocept is a molecular diagnostics company that focuses on providing commercialized assays for patients with carcinomas or melanomas. The company has developed a unique methodology to isolate cancer material shed from primary tumors in cerebrospinal fluid samples, making it a leading provider of testing services for the rapid detection and monitoring of cancer biomarkers.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com