The pharmaceutical industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the evolution of 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 136,000 patents filed and granted in the pharmaceutical industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Cell & gene therapy in pharma: chimeric antigen receptorsBuy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 730,000 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 805+ 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

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Immatics 2830 Unlock Company Profile
Bristol-Myers Squibb 1053 Unlock Company Profile
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 629 Unlock Company Profile
Cellectis 589 Unlock Company Profile
Gilead Sciences 500 Unlock Company Profile
Autolus 469 Unlock Company Profile
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 452 Unlock Company Profile
bluebird bio 324 Unlock Company Profile
NEW HOPE, CITY OF 295 Unlock Company Profile
Eureka Therapeutics 283 Unlock Company Profile
Miltenyi Biotec 278 Unlock Company Profile
BioNTech 258 Unlock Company Profile
Novartis 255 Unlock Company Profile
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals 252 Unlock Company Profile
Seattle Children's Hospital 228 Unlock Company Profile
Nanjing Legend Biotech 226 Unlock Company Profile
CRISPR Therapeutics 220 Unlock Company Profile
Adaptimmune Therapeutics 164 Unlock Company Profile
Allogene Therapeutics 150 Unlock Company Profile
Amgen 148 Unlock Company Profile
PT Soho Global Health 144 Unlock Company Profile
TCR2 Therapeutics 142 Unlock Company Profile
CARsgen Therapeutics 135 Unlock Company Profile
Precision Biosciences 134 Unlock Company Profile
Pfizer 132 Unlock Company Profile
City of Hope 132 Unlock Company Profile
Johnson & Johnson 131 Unlock Company Profile
2Seventy Bio 130 Unlock Company Profile
Sangamo Therapeutics 114 Unlock Company Profile
Poseida Therapeutics 107 Unlock Company Profile
Innovative Cellular Therapeutics 100 Unlock Company Profile
Massachusetts General Hospital 99 Unlock Company Profile
Takeda Pharmaceutical 98 Unlock Company Profile
CBMG 97 Unlock Company Profile
TRON 96 Unlock Company Profile
NantWorks 94 Unlock Company Profile
Fate Therapeutics 92 Unlock Company Profile
F. Hoffmann-La Roche 89 Unlock Company Profile
Intima Bioscience 86 Unlock Company Profile
The United States Of America 83 Unlock Company Profile
Nanjing Bioheng Biotech 81 Unlock Company Profile
iCell Gene Therapeutics 76 Unlock Company Profile
EXUMA Biotech 76 Unlock Company Profile
Nkarta 69 Unlock Company Profile
Genscript Biotech 68 Unlock Company Profile
Precigen 66 Unlock Company Profile
Sorrento Therapeutics 65 Unlock Company Profile
AstraZeneca 64 Unlock Company Profile
Instil Bio 64 Unlock Company Profile
Pact Pharma 63 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

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. Bristol-Myers Squibb and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are some of the other key patent filers in chimeric antigen receptors.

In terms of application diversity, Intima Bioscience leads the pack, while Pact Pharma and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals stood in the second and third positions, respectively.

By means of geographic reach, Immatics held the top position, followed by Intima Bioscience and bluebird bio.

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

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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.