Biocept Inc (NASDAQ:BIOC) said it has appointed Dr Philippe Marchand as its chief operating officer, effective today, March 8, 2022.
The company noted that Dr Marchand will be responsible for advancing the company's strategic and operational objectives, including all laboratory operations of its CNSide cerebrospinal fluid assay, which helps physicians better detect and manage the treatment of patients with metastatic cancers involving the central nervous system.
"Biocept is excited to welcome an executive of Philippe's caliber to our team as we work to establish CNSide as the standard-of-care diagnostic test for patients with metastatic cancers involving the brain or spinal cord," Sam Riccitelli, Biocept chairman, interim president and CEO, said in a statement.
READ: Biocept starts 2021 on a high with a profitable 1Q on revenue of $17.8M, driven by its coronavirus tests
"He shares our strong belief that having a quantitative method to analyze tumor cells in the cerebrospinal fluid will be key to improving care for these patients,” he added.
A veteran biotechnology executive and scientist with a proven track record in transitioning concepts to implementation and commercialization, Dr Marchand was most recently the chief operating officer of Biosplice Therapeutics, aiding in the development of first-in-class small-molecule therapeutics.
Previously, he was the chief information officer of Genoptix, where he oversaw the creation of the company's diagnostics laboratory and was instrumental in its IPO and subsequent acquisition by Novartis. Following the acquisition, he assumed responsibilities for global IT operations for Novartis Oncology.
"As the medical community develops new targeted therapies for metastatic brain cancers, it is imperative to have more sophisticated diagnostic tests available to characterize tumor cells in the cerebrospinal fluid, identify treatment targets, and monitor response to therapy," Dr Marchand said.
"I am impressed with the enormous progress Biocept has made in the development and commercialization of CNSide, and look forward to helping take the company and assay to the next level for the benefit of patients and physicians," he added.
Biocept develops and commercializes molecular diagnostic assays that provide physicians with clinically actionable information for treating and monitoring patients diagnosed with a variety of cancers.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com