10 Jul Interview with Mike Nall of Biocept, Inc.
Michael Nall has over 25 years of healthcare experience, with the past 18 in cancer genomics. He has served as President and CEO of Biocept for the past 4 years, leading the company from R and D stage to a fully commercialized entity. Prior to Biocept, Michael was the General Manager, North America Sales and Marketing at Clarient, under the GE Healthcare umbrella, leading all facets of commercial operations and reimbursement. He started at Clarient prior to the beginning of the lab in 2002, integrated the business into GE and was recruited by the board to join Biocept in 2013. Read his full bio.
Interview with Mike Nall of Biocept, Inc.
Q: What need is Biocept, Inc addressing?
A: Physicians are not receiving all the genomic information needed for precision medicine therapeutic decision making so some patients potentially miss out on targeted therapies that could save or extend their lives.
Q: What are the products and/or services Biocept, Inc offers/develops to address this need? What makes Biocept, Inc unique?
A: The practice of using surgical biopsy tissue for genomic testing is inherently limited. Often, a patient refuses biopsy, tissue is unavailable, tissue is exhausted, or a biopsy procedure is too risky and no genomic result is delivered. Biocept offers cost effective, guideline driven, noninvasive blood testing solutions (liquid biopsies) to address limitations of existing tissue methodologies.
Q: What is your role at Biocept, Inc and what excites you about your work?
A: As President and CEO, I am leading a fantastic team who is motivated to positively impact the lives of cancer patients. Each day we provide information that physicians use to make life saving or extending treatment decisions.
Q: When thinking about Biocept, Inc and the domain Biocept, Inc is working in, what are some of the recent breakthroughs that are propelling the field forward and how will they impact healthcare?
A: The therapy options for cancer patients are broader than ever. Targeted and immuno-therapies can be more or less effective from person to person. Knowledge of the underlying genomic mechanisms of each individual’s cancer drives more effective personalized care. Biocept evaluates both ctDNA and CTCs (circulating tumor cells) from a patient’s blood. Analyzing both DNA and whole cells delivers a more complete picture of what’s driving the cancer. In other words, by analyzing both, we can provide the same level of biomarker information that physicians are used to getting from a tissue biopsy. For labs that only provide answers on ctDNA, protein expression is not an option. At Biocept, we deliver a complete answer.
Q: What are the short-term challenges that Biocept, Inc and its peers are facing?
A: Reimbursement and cost pressure are always challenging. Adoption of new clinical modalities and paradigms takes time and access to physicians is difficult.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with the PMWC audience?
A: In summary, Biocept’s is a biotechnology company whose mission is to positively impact the lives of patients with innovative cancer diagnostic products and services. Biocept specializes in biomarker detection through the analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). By identifying specific molecular alterations, Biocept helps oncologists open targeted and immunotherapy options for patients with cancer. Biocept also offers services to other laboratory testing providers, academia, research organizations, biopharmaceutical companies, and clinical trial support.
