Imaging Flow Cytometry Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Imaging Flow Cytometry Patents: Mapping the Leaders and the Open Ground
29.0% sits with five assignees. The top five combined account for 226 of the 778 records in scope — concentrated enough that a new entrant's freedom-to-operate review starts with a short list, not a long one. Filings rose from 46 in 2017 to a peak of 78 in 2019, then eased through the early 2020s. The only reliable growth comparison is the complete-year window 2021 (52) to 2024 (36), a 31% decline; 2025 and 2026 are undercounted because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months.
- 1RGT UNIV OF CALIFORNIA91
- 2ILLUMINA INC48
- 3CYTEK BIOSCI31
- 4RECURSION PHARMACEUTICALS INC31
- 5LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORP25
See the full imaging flow cytometry 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
Who are the leading patent holders in imaging flow cytometry?
The assignee ranking in this dataset covers 100 companies, with a single leader holding 91 of the 778 records in scope and a steep drop to fifth place at 25. The top five combined account for 29.0% of all records, rising to 41.8% across the top ten, which means the field has a clearly identifiable leading tier rather than an evenly spread set of filers. Below that tier, filing activity spreads across many single- and few-record entities, so a full competitive picture requires looking past the leaders into that longer tail.
Is patent filing in imaging flow cytometry growing or slowing?
Filings peaked in 2019 at 78 and the only reliable complete-year comparison, 2021 to 2024, shows a 31% decline from 52 to 36 annual filings. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still incomplete because publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so it is too early to call the most recent years a continuation of that decline. The safest reading is that filing activity has cooled from its 2019 peak but the current trajectory is not yet fully visible in the data.
What patent classes cover imaging flow cytometry technology?
The dominant class is G01N, material analysis and testing, appearing on 60.2% of the 778 records in scope, reflecting the core assay and detection function. Image-processing class G06T (30.7%) and image/video recognition class G06V (15.8%) form a substantial secondary cluster, alongside optics (G02B, 14.5%) and biological assay classes C12Q and C12M. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these percentages are each measured against the full record count and will sum to more than 100%.
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 Imaging Flow Cytometry 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.