Liquid Biopsy Patent Landscape 2026
Liquid Biopsy Patent Landscape in 2026
The liquid biopsy patent field is moderately concentrated, with The Chinese University of Hong Kong holding the largest single position among the top hundred filers, and the United States serving as the dominant filing jurisdiction. Annual volume has eased from its 2021 peak, though the multi-year base remains substantial at 14,217 patent families in scope.
CUHK leads a field where academic and commercial players compete closely
The Chinese University of Hong Kong ranks first among the top hundred filers with 1,767 patent records, followed closely by 10x Genomics Inc at 1,209 and the Regents of the University of California at 1,069, signaling that academic institutions hold considerable weight alongside pure-play commercial diagnostics companies.
The top five filers account for 20% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, a moderate concentration level indicating no single entity has locked up the field. The gap between the first-ranked applicant and the tenth-ranked Natera Inc (664 patent records) is meaningful but not insurmountable, suggesting active competition across multiple tiers.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | 1,767 | |
| 2 | 10x Genomics Inc | 1,209 | |
| 3 | The Regents of the University of California | 1,069 | |
| 4 | Illumina Inc | 1,036 | |
| 5 | Guardant Health Inc | 970 | |
| 6 | The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | 918 | |
| 7 | Grail Inc | 905 | |
| 8 | The General Hospital Corporation | 759 | |
| 9 | PRESIDENT & FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE | 687 | |
| 10 | Natera Inc | 664 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Foundation Medicine Inc | 645 | |
| 12 | F HOFFMANN LA ROCHE & CO AG | 637 | |
| 13 | Sequenom Inc | 632 | |
| 14 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 616 | |
| 15 | The Broad Institute Inc | 604 | |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins University | 533 | |
| 17 | Verinata Health Inc | 531 | |
| 18 | Life Technologies Corporation | 507 | |
| 19 | Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH | 470 | |
| 20 | Genentech Inc | 467 |
The presence of both genomic-platform companies (10x Genomics, Illumina) and oncology-diagnostics specialists (Guardant Health, Grail, Foundation Medicine) among the top ten implies that the competitive frontier spans upstream sequencing infrastructure as well as downstream clinical assay development. Entrants must compete on both dimensions or carve out defensible niches within them.
Filing counts for 2024 and 2025 are under-counted due to standard patent publication lag of 18–24 months and should not be interpreted as a structural decline. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity peaked in 2021 and has since eased; molecular testing dominates the technology mix
The annual filing trend and IPC technology composition together reveal a field that built rapidly through the late 2010s, reached its highest recorded volume in 2021, and has moderated since — while remaining anchored in enzymatic and nucleic-acid measurement methods.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew steadily from 2017 through 2021 (the peak year), then eased through 2022 and 2023. The 2024 and 2025 bars reflect publication lag and should not be read as a continuing structural decline. The multi-year trajectory still represents a substantial cumulative body of activity.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C12Q (measuring and testing involving enzymes and DNA) is the dominant branch by a wide margin, followed by G01N (material analysis and testing) and C12N (microorganisms and genetic engineering). Bioinformatics (G16B) is the fourth-largest branch, reflecting the growing role of computational interpretation alongside wet-lab methods. Lower-share branches such as lab apparatus (B01L), medicinal preparations (A61K), and AI-based computing (G06N) represent adjacent areas with comparatively sparse coverage.
↗ 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.
Nanostructure for detecting cell-free DNA using co…
Disclosed is a structure for detecting cell-free DNA using a conductive polymer and the use thereof. More particularly, a nanostructure composed of a surface-modified conductive polymer for isolating and detecting cell-free DNA is disclosed. By using the nanostructure, cell-free DNA including circulating tumor DNA, etc. can be effectively detected and… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Methods and reagents for the rapid and efficient i… | 571 |
| 2 | Spatially addressable molecular barcoding | 522 |
| 3 | Systems and methods to detect rare mutations and c… | 482 |
| 4 | Spatially addressable molecular barcoding | 481 |
| 5 | Identification and Use of Circulating Nucleic Acid… | 478 |
| 6 | Generating cell-free DNA libraries directly from b… | 453 |
| 7 | Methods for the Diagnosis of Fetal Abnormalities | 442 |
| 8 | Rare cell analysis using sample splitting and DNA … | 442 |
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.
What the patent structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four structural observations — maturity, concentration, collaboration patterns, and geographic footprint — shape where new investment is likely to find open space versus entrenched competition.
Post-peak but still active: field has eased from its 2021 high
The lifecycle evidence places liquid biopsy in a declining phase, with annual filings easing back from the 2021 peak. This does not mean the field is dormant: the total corpus of 14,217 patent families in scope reflects years of compounding investment. For R&D planners, the signal is that broad platform claims are increasingly occupied and incremental differentiation is harder to protect without targeting specific clinical applications or detection modalities.
Post-Peak 2021Moderate concentration with a mixed academic-commercial top tier
The top five filers hold 20% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, with no single entity controlling a dominant share. Academic institutions — CUHK, UC Regents, Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Broad Institute — are densely represented, which means foundational IP is held in part by entities that license rather than commercialize directly. Commercial entrants need to map these academic portfolios carefully before designing freedom-to-operate strategies.
Moderate HHICUHK–Grail and General Hospital–Broad Institute are the most active co-filing pairs
The most active co-filing relationship is between The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Grail Inc, with 115 jointly filed records, followed by the UC Regents and Verinata Health (formerly, now part of Illumina) with 64. General Hospital Corporation co-files frequently with both the Broad Institute (43 records) and MIT (34 records). Foundation Medicine and Genentech share 26 co-filed records, reflecting Roche’s vertical integration strategy. These alliances indicate that the field’s innovation backbone runs through a small number of tightly coupled academic-commercial pairs.
Key AlliancesUnited States is the primary filing jurisdiction by a large margin
The United States leads all jurisdictions with 7,596 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) at 4,743 and WIPO (PCT) at 3,866. Australia and Canada each represent secondary markets with over 1,400 records. Singapore, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom round out the coverage map. The heavy US weighting reflects both the location of most major filers and the importance of FDA-adjacent IP protection for clinical diagnostic products.
US-CentricGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Grail Inc | 115 |
| The Regents of the University of California | Verinata Health Inc | 64 |
| The General Hospital Corporation | The Broad Institute Inc | 43 |
| Illumina Inc | Illumina Cambridge Ltd | 37 |
| The General Hospital Corporation | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 34 |
| The General Hospital Corporation | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc | 27 |
| Foundation Medicine Inc | Genentech Inc | 26 |
| The General Hospital Corporation | GPB Scientific LLC | 22 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Washington University in St. Louis | 21 |
| Natera Inc | UCL Business Ltd | 20 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Guardant Health accelerating while CUHK and Grail retrench
Among the top filers, momentum is diverging sharply: Foundation Medicine and Guardant Health are increasing recent filing rates while CUHK, Grail, and the UC Regents are pulling back, reshaping the competitive hierarchy for the next cycle.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
CUHK holds the largest position among the top hundred filers with 1,767 patent records, concentrated in C12Q1 (enzymatic and DNA-based measurement, 575 records) and bioinformatics branches G16B20 and G16B30 (257 and 206 records respectively). Its technology emphasis closely mirrors that of its most active co-filing partner, Grail Inc. However, recent momentum shows a sharp pullback (trend: -69% in the most recent period), suggesting a transition from high-volume foundational filing to a more selective post-grant strategy.
patent records: 1,767Guardant Health Inc
Guardant Health ranks fifth overall with 970 patent records and is the strongest momentum story among the major commercial players, posting a +13% increase in recent filing activity. Its portfolio is concentrated in C12Q1 (651 records) with meaningful bioinformatics coverage across G16B30 (156 records) and G16B20 (148 records), indicating a strategy that pairs wet-lab assay IP with algorithmic interpretation claims. Foundation Medicine shows even stronger recent momentum (+137% trend) from its 645-record base, making it the most rapidly expanding challenger in the commercial tier.
patent records: 970| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Guardant Health Inc | 220 | ▲ +13% |
| The Chinese University of Hong Kong | 56 | ▼ -69% |
| Grail Inc | 115 | ▼ -58% |
| Foundation Medicine Inc | 244 | ▲ +137% |
| The Regents of the University of California | 82 | ▼ -25% |
| Natera Inc | 143 | ▼ -7% |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | 115 | ▼ -17% |
| Illumina Inc | 95 | ▬ -2% |
Under-served branches adjacent to the liquid biopsy core
Several IPC branches appear alongside the dominant enzymatic-testing cluster but at comparatively low filing densities, suggesting areas where coverage thins relative to the technical opportunity.
G06N · AI and machine learning models
G06N (computing based on AI models) accounts for 259 patent records — sparse relative to the bioinformatics branch G16B (3,410 records) that handles much of the computational liquid biopsy work. As large language models and deep-learning architectures increasingly enter variant-calling and multi-cancer early detection pipelines, purpose-built AI-model claims (rather than bioinformatics-workflow claims) may represent an under-served angle. An entrant with strong ML model IP could file in G06N to complement existing G16B coverage and differentiate on algorithmic architecture rather than assay chemistry.
Search this in Eureka →B01L · Laboratory apparatus and microfluidics
B01L (lab apparatus) carries 946 patent records — modest compared with the dominant molecular-biology branches. Physical sample-preparation and microfluidic chip innovations that enrich circulating tumor cells or cell-free DNA before sequencing sit in this space. Given that sensitivity and specificity of liquid biopsy assays are often limited by pre-analytical handling, hardware-level claims in B01L could provide defensible IP that complements a sequencing or bioinformatics position. The relatively sparse coverage suggests this hardware layer has not attracted the same filing intensity as the downstream molecular analysis methods.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | C12Q 1 · Measuring & testing involving enzymes/DNA | G01N 33 · Material analysis & testing | C12N 15 · Microorganisms & genetic engineering | G16B 20 · Bioinformatics | G16B 30 · Bioinformatics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Strong · 575 | Absent | Emerging · 57 | Moderate · 257 | Moderate · 206 |
| Guardant Health Inc | Strong · 651 | Absent | Emerging · 119 | Moderate · 148 | Moderate · 156 |
| Grail Inc | Strong · 546 | Absent | Emerging · 103 | Moderate · 147 | Moderate · 135 |
| Foundation Medicine Inc | Strong · 430 | Moderate · 112 | Absent | Moderate · 214 | Moderate · 115 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Strong · 347 | Moderate · 108 | Absent | Moderate · 130 | Moderate · 72 |
| The Regents of the University of California | Strong · 359 | Moderate · 154 | Moderate · 89 | Emerging · 35 | Absent |
| Natera Inc | Strong · 405 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 112 | Emerging · 33 |
Frequently asked questions
The dataset covers 14,217 patent families in scope globally. This corpus spans the major filing jurisdictions and the full technology stack from sample preparation through computational interpretation.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong holds the largest position among the top hundred filers with 1,767 patent records, ahead of 10x Genomics Inc (1,209) and the Regents of the University of California (1,069).
Annual filing volume peaked in 2021 and has eased since. The field is still supported by a large accumulated corpus, but the lifecycle evidence indicates a post-peak phase. Note that 2024 and 2025 figures are under-counted due to publication lag and do not represent the true recent filing rate.
C12Q (measuring and testing involving enzymes and DNA) is the dominant branch by a substantial margin, followed by G01N (material analysis and testing), C12N (microorganisms and genetic engineering), and G16B (bioinformatics). These four branches collectively define the core of the field.
The United States leads all jurisdictions with 7,596 patent records, reflecting both the concentration of major filers in North America and the importance of US market protection for clinical diagnostic products. Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) follow as the next largest filing destinations.
Foundation Medicine shows the strongest recent momentum among major filers with a +137% trend in the most recent filing window relative to the prior period. Guardant Health is also increasing activity at +13%. By contrast, CUHK (-69%), Grail (-58%), and the UC Regents (-25%) have pulled back notably from their earlier filing rates.
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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.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. PatSnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.