The pharmaceutical industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is 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 787,000 patents filed and granted in the pharmaceutical industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Genomics in pharma: zinc-finger nucleases. Buy the report here.
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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.
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Zinc-finger nucleases is a key innovation area in genomics
Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are tools used in genetic engineering to cleave a chosen genomic sequence. It is a chimeric endonuclease, which consists of a custom-designed ZF DNA-binding domain and the non-specific nuclease domain from the FokI restriction enzyme. ZFNs are also used to create a new generation of genetic disease models called isogenic human disease models. They are the smallest type of programmable nuclease.
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 140+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of zinc-finger nucleases.
Key players in zinc-finger nucleases – 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 zinc-finger nucleases
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Sangamo Therapeutics | 864 | Unlock Company Profile |
| E. Merck | 247 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | 214 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cellectis | 142 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Beam Therapeutics | 140 | Unlock Company Profile |
| General Hospital | 97 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Corteva | 96 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Factor Bioscience | 72 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Caribou Biosciences | 64 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ToolGen | 59 | Unlock Company Profile |
| bluebird bio | 54 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CRISPR Therapeutics | 51 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center | 47 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Intima Bioscience | 44 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Verneuil Participations | 41 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Modalis Therapeutics | 41 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories | 39 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Precigen | 37 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Metagenomi | 36 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Children's Medical Center | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ElevateBio | 29 | Unlock Company Profile |
| IRCCS Policlinico San Donato | 27 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TargetGene Biotechnologies | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Astellas Pharma | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fondazione Telethon | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Omega Therapeutics | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bio-Techne | 22 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Neutrolis | 21 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Poseida Therapeutics | 21 | Unlock Company Profile |
| KSQ Therapeutics | 20 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Feldan Therapeutics | 19 | Unlock Company Profile |
| New England Biolabs | 19 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Spotlight Therapeutics | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Scribe Therapeutics | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Precision Biosciences | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Editas Medicine | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Specific Biologics | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Generation Bio | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Advanced Gene and Cell Technologies | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Intellia Therapeutics | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| C. H. Boehringer Sohn | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Myeloid Therapeutics | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Aadigen | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Minapharm Pharmaceuticals | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| 2Seventy Bio | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Locanabio | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| GeneTether Therapeutics | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| The United States Of America | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mayo Clinic | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Sangamo Therapeutics is the leading patent holder for zinc-finger nucleases. By using its proprietary zinc finger platform, the company is engaged in the development of various pipeline candidates. The company's lead asset involving this technology is isaralgagene civaparvovec (ST 920). The company’s R&D is also focused on drugs for central nervous system, infections and genetic disorders. Furthermore, it is exploring various options for multiple other therapy areas and has filed several patents based on zinc finger nucleases.
In terms of application diversity, Factor Bioscience is the top company, followed by New England Biolabs and Precigen. By means of geographic reach, Factor Bioscience holds the top position. While Precigen and TargetGene Biotechnologies 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 Genomics.
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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.
