Higher Order Structure Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Higher Order Structure Characterization Patents: Who Files, Who Leads
51.3% concentration. The top 5 ranked assignees combined account for 1,611 of the 3,141 records in scope — over half the field sits with a handful of filers. Filings rose from 96 in 2017 to a peak of 187 in 2018, then eased. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025-2026 counts are still filling in and should not be read as a drop-off; the more reliable read is the 2021-to-2024 span, where filings fell 15% (108 to 92).
- 1ZYMOGENETICS INC488
- 2ATYR PHARM INC430
- 3PANGU BIOPHARMA LTD372
- 4MILLENNIUM PHARMACEUTICALS INC182
- 5AMGEN INC139
See the full higher order structure characterization 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
Frequently asked questions
What counts as higher order structure characterization in patent filings?
It covers the analytical methods and comparability frameworks used to confirm that a biologic’s three-dimensional folded structure matches a reference, including circular dichroism, differential scanning calorimetry, NMR-based comparability, and statistical equivalence testing. In this landscape, most filings classify these methods alongside the specific biologic or formulation being tested rather than as standalone instrumentation claims. That is why A61K and C07K subclasses dominate the technology composition rather than G01N, the classification most associated with measurement methods.
Who are the leading patent filers in higher order structure characterization?
The assignee ranking is concentrated at the top: the leading assignee holds 488 records, and the top 5 combined account for 51.3% of the 3,141 records in scope. Below the top 10, which hold 63.8% of records between them, the ranking extends to 100 companies with a long tail of much smaller filers. Checking the current ranking directly is more reliable than relying on a fixed list, since positions can shift as new families publish.
Is patent filing in this field growing or slowing down?
Filings peaked at 187 in 2018 and have since eased; over the most recent complete years, 2021 to 2024, filings fell 15% from 108 to 92. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 counts in any dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as a further decline. The honest read is a field that has cooled from its 2018 high rather than one that is accelerating or collapsing.
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 Higher Order Structure Characterization 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.