BOULDER, Colo.– Biodesix, Inc., a fully integrated molecular diagnostic company dedicated to personalizing medicine, today announced that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has granted the company a patent for a new method and system of validating the performance of matrix-assisted, laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometer machines.

Mass spectrometry is central to the proprietary discovery platform that Biodesix developed to evaluate and classify patient samples obtained from its commercially available, blood-based test,VeriStrat. The company’s latest invention, U.S. Patent 8,467,988, fills the need for an objective method that qualifies the performance of Biodesix’ MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer instruments — ensuring that over time, and through the maintenance cycles, the instruments continue to reliably classify biological samples for VeriStrat.

VeriStrat, a clinically validated blood-based protein test, helps physicians guide second-line therapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The test predicts whether patients are likely to benefit from the targeted drug erlotinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor (EGFRI), or chemotherapy.

“This key expansion of the Biodesix patent estate is part of our global strategy to protect VeriStrat and our technology platform,” said David Brunel, Chief Executive Officer of Biodesix. “This patent is further proof of our commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity for our personalized medicine diagnostics and their results.”