However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.

80+ innovations will shape the pharmaceutical industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the pharmaceutical industry using innovation intensity models built on over 730,000 patents, there are 80+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, engineered multispecific antibodies, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and mutant DNA polymerases are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Peptide pharmacophores, antibody-drug conjugates, and neuroprotective drugs are some of the accelerating innovation areas where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are amyloid precursor targeted therapies and modified vector HIV-1 vaccines, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for the pharmaceutical industry

Knock-in transgenics is a key innovation area in the pharmaceutical industry

Knock-in mice are genetically modified mouse models in which a gene sequence is inserted at a particular locus to understand the impact of the inactivation of a particularly targeted gene function. Constitutive knock-in, humanization knock-in, reporter/tag knock-in, and targeted transgenics are a few examples of different knock-in types that use the Rosa26 locus, which offers complete control of the gene expression. Scientists often use embryonic stem cells to insert entirely new genes into specific locations in the 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 535+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of knock-in transgenicse.

Key players in knock-in transgenics – a key innovation area 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 knock-in transgenics

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is the leading patent filer for knock-in transgenics. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has a market cap of more than $80bn and is primarily focused on cancer, allergic and inflammatory diseases, eye diseases, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, neuromuscular diseases, and rare diseases. Regeneron has created the VelociSuite of Technologies, comprising VelociGene, VelociMouse, VelocImmune and VelociMab. Together, these technologies increase the efficiency and decrease the time involved in the discovery and generation of drug candidates. The company’s VelociMouse technology enables the immediate generation of genetically altered mice directly from modified embryonic stem cells.

In terms of application diversity, GC is the top company, followed by Aviagen and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.

By means of geographic reach, Deerfield Management holds the top position. Cellectis and AquaBounty Technologies stand 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 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.