Basecalling & Sequencing Data Patents: Top Companies & Trends 2026
Basecalling and Sequencing Data Processing Patents: Who Leads and Where the Field Is Still Open
44.4% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees hold 293 of 660 records in scope — filing here means competing directly with entrenched claim positions, not filling empty space. Filings ran from 81 in 2017 to a peak of 96 in 2022, before falling off in the most recent years shown — a pattern consistent with publication lag rather than reduced inventive activity. The comparable 2021-to-2024 window shows a +6% increase, from 35 to 37 records.
- 1ILLUMINA INC180
- 2EDICO GENOME CORP41
- 3DIGITAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES INC29
- 4OXFORD NANOPORE TECH LTD22
- 5COMPLETE GENOMICS INC21
See the full basecalling and sequencing data processing analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions on this landscape
Who holds the most patents in basecalling and sequencing data processing?
One assignee holds 180 of the 660 records in scope, well ahead of the fifth-place holder at 21. The top five assignees together account for 293 records, or 44.4% of all records in scope, meaning nearly half of the field’s patent activity sits with a small group of sequencing platform and bioinformatics companies. Any new entrant should expect to design claims around this group’s existing positions rather than around the field in general.
Is patent filing in this field growing or slowing down?
Filings grew modestly from 35 records in 2021 to 37 in 2024, a +6% increase over that span, which is the most reliable comparison window available. Numbers for 2025 and 2026 appear lower, but that reflects publication lag of roughly 18 months rather than an actual drop in filing activity. Treat any apparent decline in the final one to two years of a trend chart with caution.
What’s the difference between C12Q and G16B classifications in this space?
C12Q covers measuring and testing methods involving enzymes or DNA and appears on 58.6% of the 660 records, making it the largest single class — largely the molecular and assay side of sequencing. G16B covers bioinformatics specifically and appears on 42.7% of records, reflecting the computational pipeline, calibration and variant-calling side. Many records carry both classifications, which is why the two shares add to more than 100% rather than splitting the field into separate halves.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Basecalling and Sequencing Data Processing covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.