BioCep, an Israeli medical device research company, is developing a superior system for cell separation from various clinical sources. BioCep's technology, the Cell Enrichment Process (CEP) is the result of many years of research in the cancer diagnostics field by the company's chief scientist, Dr. Ofer Klein and chief engineer, Mr. Aharon Lamish, each an expert in his field. BioCep's team is led by these experienced researchers and by Mr. Hannoch Marksheid, a seasoned manager with years of international business development experience.
BioCep enjoys strong intellectual property coverage, with its technology patent approved in nine countries and patent pending in an additional two. BioCep is actively working on the completion of its first commercial system that will be marketed to research laboratories worldwide. BioCep will also market consumable kits to its customers.
The CEP has been validated by a leading laboratory with excellent initial results and is installed in two beta sites in Israel. BioCep will continue to improve its platform and core technology, while developing breakthrough medical applications and improved lifesaving therapies. These medical processes have un-met market needs and represent a multi-billion dollar opportunity. CEP's abilities to obtain desired cell populations with a high purity level will give BioCep entry into these large markets. The company is currently developing two significant medical applications:
Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing in First Trimester
The Cell Enrichment Process will be utilized to effectively separate fetal nucleated red blood cells from maternal blood. The fetal cells can be tested for genetic syndromes, allowing early detection of anomalies at the first critical stages of pregnancy.
Stem Cell Isolation and Therapy
The CEP will yield improved stem cell specimens for transplant in patients suffering from various types of cancer. Improved quality of transplant will allow older patients to benefit from this lifesaving therapy, will decrease incidence of Graft Vs Host Disease, a common complication in allogeneic transplants, and will decrease incidence of transplant contamination in autogenic transplants.
Future applications will focus on cancer metastasis diagnosis and monitoring, disease management and umbilical cord stem cell separation. BioCep is a privately owned company, jointly owned by the entrepreneurs, the staff and the investors, which include Meytag Incubator, Capital Point, Medisep Ltd, and private investors.
