CGM Sensor Materials Patent Landscape 2026
CGM sensor materials IP is heavily concentrated, with Medtronic MiniMed alone accounting for the plurality of filings and the top five filers commanding nearly two-thirds of the leading filers’ combined output. The field reached its peak annual volume in 2021 and has eased since, signalling a maturing competitive structure where positional defense by incumbents is now the dominant activity.
Medtronic MiniMed leads a highly concentrated field
Medtronic MiniMed holds the top position by a substantial margin, followed by Ascensia Diabetes Care, Allez Health, I-Sens, and Sogang University Research & Business Development Foundation rounding out the top five. The top five filers collectively account for 64% of the hundred largest filers’ combined patent records, signalling a field where a small number of actors define the IP frontier.
The tier gap between Medtronic MiniMed and the rest of the ranking is pronounced. No single challenger currently approaches the leader’s scale, though Allez Health and I-Sens are active enough to form a meaningful second tier. Below rank five, individual positions drop sharply, suggesting limited mid-tier depth.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medtronic MiniMed Inc. | 96 | |
| 2 | Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG | 23 | |
| 3 | Allez Health Inc. | 22 | |
| 4 | I-Sens Inc. | 15 | |
| 5 | SOGANG UNIV RES & BUSINESS DEV FOUND | 14 | |
| 6 | Willow Lab Inc. | 12 | |
| 7 | Tingo Medical Ltd. | 10 | |
| 8 | UXN Co., Ltd. | 10 | |
| 9 | Cercacor Laboratories Inc. | 4 | |
| 10 | Vivachek Biotech (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. | 4 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Zhejiang University City College | 4 | |
| 12 | Children’s Medical Center Corporation | 3 | |
| 13 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 3 | |
| 14 | Zhejiang University | 3 | |
| 15 | King Saud University | 3 | |
| 16 | National University of Singapore | 3 | |
| 17 | Sanvita Medical Corporation | 3 | |
| 18 | Pacific Diabetes Technologies Inc. | 3 | |
| 19 | Roche Diabetes Care Inc. | 2 | |
| 20 | Chongqing Wenchuang Medical Laboratory Co., Ltd. | 2 |
The leader’s entrenched position across diagnostic and electrochemical sensing branches implies that challengers must either differentiate on adjacent material science routes or compete on manufacturing precision claims to carve out defensible space.
Filings from approximately 2024 onward are likely under-counted due to standard patent publication lag and should not be read as indicative of the true current activity level. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity peaked in 2021; diagnosis and sensing branches dominate the technology mix
Annual filing volume and IPC class distribution together describe a field that expanded rapidly through 2021 but has since eased, while remaining concentrated in a narrow set of diagnostic and electrochemical technology classes.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew from 15 in 2017 to a peak of 47 in 2021, then declined to 21 in 2022 and continued easing through 2023 and 2024. The 2024 and 2025 figures should be treated as preliminary given publication lag; they do not necessarily represent the true filing rate for those years.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
A61B (diagnosis and surgery) is overwhelmingly dominant, reflecting the sensor-body interface focus of most filings. G01N (material analysis and testing) forms a meaningful secondary cluster, with A61M (devices for body fluids) and G16H (healthcare informatics) as smaller but notable branches. Polymer chemistry classes such as C08F and C08G, as well as surface deposition branches C25D and C23C, each represent a small but distinct slice of the technology composition.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Mediator-less Electrochemical Glucose Sensing Proc…
The present disclosure generally relates to devices and procedures for the development of glucose oxidase-bound electrodes by a covalent binding of glucose oxidase on amine-functionalized electrodes. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to covalently-bound enzyme-coated electrodes that are leach-proof and highly stable for continuous glucose… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glucose sensors and methods of manufacturing | 293 |
| 2 | Electrochemical glucose sensing by equilibrium glu… | 151 |
| 3 | 柔性电化学电极、连续葡萄糖监测传感器及其制备方法 | 66 |
| 4 | Methods, systems, and devices for calibration and … | 61 |
| 5 | Use of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS… | 44 |
| 6 | Methods for continuous glucose monitoring | 40 |
| 7 | Systems and methods for continuous health monitori… | 39 |
| 8 | Sensing Fluid Concentration for Continuous Glucose… | 39 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the patent structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of post-peak filing volume, high top-five concentration, and a narrow technology class mix points to a field entering consolidation, where incremental positioning matters more than broad exploration.
Field is past its 2021 peak and entering consolidation
Annual filing volume reached its highest point in 2021 at 47 filings and has eased consistently since. The lifecycle stage is characterised as Decline, driven by easing annual volume from that peak. For R&D planners, this indicates that broad platform staking has largely occurred; future investment is more likely to generate returns in targeted differentiation rather than foundational coverage.
Past-peak · ConsolidatingTop-five filers hold nearly two-thirds of the leading filers’ output
The top five filers account for 64% of the top 100 filers’ combined patent records, with Medtronic MiniMed alone commanding the largest single share. This level of concentration means new entrants face a well-fortified incumbent landscape in core diagnostic and electrochemical sensing branches. Differentiation in adjacent material science or coating classes offers a more viable entry path than direct competition in the dominant A61B cluster.
High concentrationIndustry-academia pairing drives the most active co-filing relationship
The most active co-filing relationship in the corpus links I-Sens (listed in the evidence as the Korean sensor maker) with Sogang University Research & Business Development Foundation, who co-filed 14 patent records together. A secondary collaboration connects MIT with Children’s Medical Center Corporation across 3 co-filed records. Both pairings follow an industry-academia model, suggesting that novel material formulations in this space are still being seeded through academic research partnerships.
Industry-academia modelUS-centric filing with selective PCT and EPO coverage
The United States is the lead jurisdiction with 109 patent records, followed by Europe via the EPO at 33, WIPO PCT at 27, and Australia at 21. China holds 18 records despite hosting several active filers, and South Korea has only 2 records despite I-Sens and Sogang University being ranked applicants. This geographic unevenness suggests that some applicants are not fully extending their Korean or Chinese innovations into international prosecution, which may leave coverage gaps that competitors can exploit.
US-centric · Selective extensionGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| I-Sens Inc. | SOGANG UNIV RES & BUSINESS DEV FOUND | 14 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Children’s Medical Center Corporation | 3 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Medtronic MiniMed versus an emerging challenger tier led by Allez Health
Medtronic MiniMed’s lead is built on deep coverage across diagnostic sensing and electrochemical measurement branches, while Allez Health has entered as a new participant with a fully A61B-focused portfolio and immediate scale.
Medtronic MiniMed
Medtronic MiniMed holds 96 patent records, the largest position in the corpus by a wide margin. Its technical focus spans A61B (diagnosis and surgery), G01N electrochemical measurement, and A61M fluid delivery, reflecting a comprehensive sensor-system stack rather than a single materials bet. Recent momentum shows a modest decline of 11% versus the prior period, consistent with the field’s overall post-peak trajectory rather than a structural retreat.
96 patent recordsAllez Health
Allez Health holds 22 patent records and entered the ranking as a new entrant with recent filings of 13 records, making it the fastest-growing named applicant in the corpus by momentum. Its technical focus is concentrated almost entirely in A61B (diagnosis and surgery), with secondary positions in A61B10 and C12N, suggesting an emphasis on sensor-body interface design and enzyme-related materials rather than the broader electrochemical stack that defines the leader’s portfolio.
22 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Medtronic MiniMed Inc. | 24 | ▼ -11% |
| Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG | 1 | ▼ -95% |
| Allez Health Inc. | 13 | ▲ new entrant |
| Tingo Medical Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Cercacor Laboratories Inc. | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches in electroplating, enzyme chemistry, and AI-assisted sensing
Several IPC classes appear at low share relative to the dominant A61B cluster, and at least two carry plausible technical relevance to next-generation CGM sensor materials that warrants monitoring.
C25D · Electroplating and electroforming
With only 9 patent records and a 2% share among the branches observed, electroplating and electroforming is the sparsest class with direct relevance to sensor electrode fabrication. Precision electrodeposition of enzyme-retaining or biocompatible metal layers is a documented route to improving CGM sensor sensitivity and longevity. The low filing count suggests few applicants are staking claims in this manufacturing process dimension, which may represent an entry path for materials or process specialists not currently active in the A61B core.
Search this in Eureka →G06N · Computing based on AI models
AI-model-related filings account for 17 patent records and a 4% share, making this branch sparse relative to the clinical sensing core but growing in relevance as sensor signal processing and calibration correction move toward learned models. The most-cited work in the corpus already references EIS-based sensing and calibration methods, and AI integration with raw sensor material output is a logical extension. Entrants with strength in embedded inference or edge ML could find less crowded ground here than in the physical sensor layer.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across diagnostic, electrochemical, and materials routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | A61B 5 · Diagnosis & surgery | G01N 27 · Material analysis & testing | A61M 5 · Devices for body fluids | G16H 40 · Healthcare informatics | G16H 50 · Healthcare informatics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medtronic MiniMed Inc. | Strong · 96 | Moderate · 34 | Moderate · 30 | Emerging · 17 | Emerging · 16 |
| Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG | Strong · 23 | Absent | Emerging · 2 | Moderate · 8 | Moderate · 5 |
| Allez Health Inc. | Strong · 22 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Sogang University Research & Business Development Foundation | Strong · 8 | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| I-Sens Inc. | Strong · 8 | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| UXN Co., Ltd. | Strong · 7 | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Tingo Medical Ltd. | Strong · 10 | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 1 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The analysis covers 193 patent families. The United States is the leading filing jurisdiction with 109 patent records, and global coverage extends to Europe, WIPO PCT, Australia, China, Canada, and several other jurisdictions.
Medtronic MiniMed holds the largest position with 96 patent records, placing it well ahead of the next-ranked applicant, Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings, which holds 23 patent records. The top five applicants together account for 64% of the top 100 filers’ combined patent records.
Annual filing volume peaked in 2021 at 47 filings and has eased since, reaching 21 in 2022 and 19 in 2023. The lifecycle stage is characterised as Decline, driven by easing annual volume from the 2021 peak. Figures for 2024 and later are preliminary due to publication lag and should not be treated as final.
A61B (diagnosis and surgery) is the dominant branch with 222 patent records, reflecting the sensor-body interface focus of most filings. G01N (material analysis and testing) is the second-largest cluster at 77 records, followed by A61M (devices for body fluids) at 36 and G16H (healthcare informatics) at 32.
The most active co-filing relationship links I-Sens with Sogang University Research & Business Development Foundation across 14 co-filed patent records, representing an industry-academia pairing. A secondary collaboration connects MIT with Children’s Medical Center Corporation across 3 co-filed records. Both follow an academic research partnership model.
C25D (electroplating and electroforming) has only 9 patent records, making it the sparsest branch with direct relevance to electrode fabrication. G06N (computing based on AI models) has 17 records and is sparse relative to the A61B core, though AI-based signal processing and calibration is gaining technical relevance. C12Q (measuring and testing involving enzymes and DNA) at 16 records is another observed adjacent branch, particularly relevant to enzyme-based sensor chemistry.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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