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Premium Insights Cell & gene therapy in pharma: chimeric antigen receptors

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 668,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the pharmaceutical industry, there are 80+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Chimeric antigen receptors is a key innovation area in cell & gene therapy

Chimeric antigen receptors, commonly known as CARs, are synthetic receptors that are engineered into immune cells, such as T cells, to enhance their ability to recognize and attack specific target cells, particularly cancer cells. CARs are a critical component of CAR-T cell therapies, a type of cancer immunotherapy. These therapies have demonstrated remarkable success in treating certain types of cancer.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 520+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of chimeric antigen receptors.

Key players in chimeric antigen receptors – a disruptive innovation in the pharmaceutical industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.   

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.  

Patent volumes related to chimeric antigen receptors

Immatics is one of the leading patent filers in chimeric antigen receptors. Immatics is primarily known for its T-cell receptor (TCR)-based immunotherapies and focuses on engineered T-cell therapies rather than traditional CAR therapies. In 2022, Immatics and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) expanded their strategic alliance to pursue the development of multiple allogeneic off-the-shelf TCR-T and/or CAR-T programs. BMS and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are some of the other key patent filers in chimeric antigen receptors.

In terms of application diversity, Immatics leads the pack, while Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and bluebird bio stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Genscript Biotech held the top position, followed by Immatics and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the pharmaceutical industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Pharmaceutical.

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.