The pharmaceutical industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the evolution of new treatment paradigms, and the gravity of unmet needs, as well as the growing importance of technologies such as pharmacogenomics, digital therapeutics, and artificial intelligence. In the last three years alone, there have been over 633,000 patents filed and granted in the pharmaceutical industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Immuno-oncology in Pharmaceuticals: Oncolytic viral proteins.

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 756,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the pharmaceutical industry, there are 110 innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Oncolytic viral proteins is a key innovation area in immuno-oncology

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) work by two main mechanisms: direct lysis of virus-infected cancer cells and release of tumour antigens as viral bursts. OVs can be attenuated natural viruses or recombinant viruses. A major strategy for OV development is genetic manipulation to weaken virus pathogenicity, enhance target selectivity, reduce adverse reactions, and/or insert exogenous therapeutic genes into the virus genome.

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 120+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of oncolytic viral proteins.

Key players in oncolytic viral proteins – a disruptive innovation in the pharmaceutical industry

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

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

Patent volumes related to oncolytic viral proteins

Company Total patents (2010 - 2021) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Compagnie Merieux Alliance 234 Unlock company profile
PsiOxus Therapeutics 197 Unlock company profile
SILLAJEN 158 Unlock company profile
Advaxis 152 Unlock company profile
Johnson & Johnson 108 Unlock company profile
Merck & Co 100 Unlock company profile
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 89 Unlock company profile
GSK 85 Unlock company profile
Targovax 78 Unlock company profile
EpicentRx 75 Unlock company profile
Calliditas Therapeutics 71 Unlock company profile
Genelux 64 Unlock company profile
Xiamen Innovax Biotech 62 Unlock company profile
IMV 57 Unlock company profile
Vascular Biogenics 55 Unlock company profile
TheVax Genetics Vaccine 51 Unlock company profile
DNAtrix 50 Unlock company profile
Nitto Denko 43 Unlock company profile
Aura Biosciences 41 Unlock company profile
Etubics 40 Unlock company profile
Genemedicine 38 Unlock company profile
PDS Biotechnology 38 Unlock company profile
Hangzhou Converd 36 Unlock company profile
Turnstone Biologics 33 Unlock company profile
Hpvvax 33 Unlock company profile
Institut Catala d'Oncologia 33 Unlock company profile
Inovio Pharmaceuticals 30 Unlock company profile
Bionoxx 29 Unlock company profile
Valo Therapeutics 29 Unlock company profile
Genexine 29 Unlock company profile
Walvax Biotechnology 26 Unlock company profile
United Nations Industrial Development Organization 25 Unlock company profile
Nykode Therapeutics 25 Unlock company profile
Calidi Biotherapeutics 24 Unlock company profile
PCI Biotech Holding 23 Unlock company profile
Hookipa Pharma 21 Unlock company profile
Kolon Life Science 21 Unlock company profile
Curevac 21 Unlock company profile
ProvIncial Health Services Authority 21 Unlock company profile
CG Oncology 20 Unlock company profile
City of Hope 20 Unlock company profile
Bioleaders 19 Unlock company profile
BioLineRx 18 Unlock company profile
Mayo Clinic 17 Unlock company profile
Invectys 17 Unlock company profile
Bayer 17 Unlock company profile
ISA Pharmaceuticals 17 Unlock company profile
Turnstone 17 Unlock company profile
EyeGene 17 Unlock company profile
TILT Biotherapeutics 16 Unlock company profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

PsiOxus Therapeutics is the leading patent filer in oncolytic viral proteins. Akamis Bio, formerly PsiOxus Therapeutics, develops and discovers therapies for the treatment of cancer and other related diseases. The company utilises T-SIGn, a tumour-specific immuno gene platform to develop gene therapies for primary and metastatic solid tumours. Its platform has capabilities to be used in combination with CAR-T and other cell therapies to overcome poor immune cell infiltration, immunosuppressive properties of tumour microenvironment, and systematic toxicity issues. The company has an operational presence in the US and the UK (headquartered in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK). Sillajen and Advaxis are the other key patent filers of oncolytic viral proteins.

In terms of application diversity, Agenus is the top company, followed by Elicio Therapeutics and Selecta Biosciences. By means of geographic reach, Turnstone Biologics holds the top position. Rubius Therapeutics and Pathovax are in second and third positions, respectively.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the pharmaceutical industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Immuno-Oncology – Thematic Research.

GlobalData

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.