MALDI Imaging Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- 37.8% concentration. The top 5 assignees account for 51 of 135 records in scope — a compact core sitting above a long tail of single- and dual-filing entrants.
- Filings roughly doubled. From 2 records in 2021 to 4 in 2024, a +100% move over that span, even as the field's 2018 peak of 24 has not since been repeated.
- Instrumentation outweighs therapeutics. G01N material analysis appears on 65.9% of records and H01J electron/discharge tube claims on 34.8%, well ahead of A61K medicinal preparation claims at 20.7%.
Filing growth compares 2021 (2 records) with 2024 (4) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 135 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What the MALDI tissue imaging patent record shows
MALDI imaging mass spectrometry applied to tissue sections sits at the intersection of analytical instrumentation and molecular pathology. The 135 records in scope span matrix deposition, spatial resolution control, section thickness handling, lipid distribution mapping, data file size management for high-resolution imaging runs, and histology registration workflows that align mass spec data back onto stained tissue images. Filing activity runs from 2015 through the current data cut-off, with publication lag of roughly 18 months meaning the most recent one to two years understate true filing volume.
Receiving-office data shows the United States as the single largest venue, with WIPO PCT filings and the European Patent Office close behind, and smaller but notable activity at IL, Australia and Germany — a pattern consistent with a field where academic research institutions and instrument makers both file internationally to protect method claims across major diagnostic markets.
Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 135 records: how filing activity has moved year over year, and how those records distribute across IPC subclasses.
Filing trend, 2017–2026
Activity peaked in 2018 at 24 records, the highest single year in the dataset. Filings fell back after that peak, then began rebuilding: 2021 recorded 2, rising to 4 by 2024, a +100% move over that three-year span. 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in due to publication lag and should not be read as a slowdown.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
G01N (material analysis and testing) appears on 65.9% of the 135 records, confirming that most claims are anchored in measurement and testing method rather than the compounds being measured. H01J (electron and discharge tubes) follows at 34.8%, reflecting mass spectrometer hardware claims. A61K medicinal preparations (20.7%) and C12Q enzyme/DNA testing (14.1%) show a smaller but real therapeutic and diagnostic tail. Because records can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares sum to well over 100%.
Shares are the percentage of the 135 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on MALDI Imaging of Tissue Sections with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about maldi imaging of tissue sections and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative and most-cited records
Method for drug binding analysis in a tissue sample
The method determines specific ligand binding at a tissue binding site using displacement competitive inhibition across adjacent tissue sections: one incubated with unlabeled ligand alone, the other with unlabeled ligand in the presence of labeled ligand. MALDI imaging mass spectrometry then visualizes bound ligand localization across both sections.Filed by TREAT4LIFE AB, published 2018-12-06 as US20180348210A1.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20050130167A1 | Multifunctional magnetic nanoparticle probes for intracellular molecular imaging and monitoring | 214 |
| 2 | US7459145B2 | Multifunctional magnetic nanoparticle probes for intracellular molecular imaging and monitoring | 148 |
| 3 | WO2004083902A2 | Multifunctional magnetic nanoparticle probes for intracellular molecular imaging and monitoring | 88 |
| 4 | US20140329274A1 | Metabolic flux measurement, imaging and microscopy | 44 |
| 5 | WO2013036885A1 | Metabolic FLUX measurement, imaging and microscopy | 24 |
| 6 | WO2005079360A2 | Advanced optics for rapidly patterned lasser profiles in analytical spectrometry | 21 |
| 7 | US20070069122A1 | In situ polypeptide identification | 19 |
| 8 | WO2018160076A1 | FGFR kinase inhibitors and pharmaceutical uses | 16 |
| 9 | US20170004959A1 | Ambient Infrared Laser Ablation Mass Spectrometry (AIRLAB-MS) with Plume Capture by Continuous Flow Solvent P… | 14 |
| 10 | US7282706B2 | Advanced optics for rapidly patterned laser profiles in analytical spectrometry | 12 |
Citation counts favour older records simply by virtue of time in the corpus; treat them as a signal of influence on the field rather than of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three patterns stand out once the ranking, the trend and the IPC composition are read together.
A compact leadership core, not a monopoly
The leader holds 16 records and fifth place holds 8, together with the rest of the top 5 accounting for 37.8% of all 135 records in scope. That leaves the majority of the field to a long tail of academic institutes and smaller instrument developers, meaning freedom-to-operate analysis has to look well past the named leaders.
Renewed filing activity after the 2018 peak
Filings dropped from the 2018 peak of 24 before rebuilding: 2 records in 2021 climbing to 4 by 2024. That is a real doubling, not a rounding artefact, though it starts from a small base and 2025-2026 numbers are still incomplete due to publication lag.
Method and instrumentation claims dominate
G01N material analysis and testing appears on nearly two-thirds of records, with H01J hardware claims on over a third. Therapeutic-facing classes like A61K and A61P are present but secondary, indicating this field is claimed primarily as an analytical method and instrument, with drug and disease applications layered on top rather than driving the core claims.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to maldi imaging of tissue sections, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | Emory University | 7 |
| Van Andel Research Institute | MUSC Foundation for Research Development | 7 |
| University of Antwerp | Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek (VITO) | 7 |
| Auckland UniServices Limited | Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 6 |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | NITIN NITIN | 4 |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | NIE SHUMING | 4 |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | BAO GANG | 4 |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | LACONTE LESLIE | 2 |
Ten identified co-assignee pairs, with the strongest pairings each appearing on 7 shared records — consistent with university-institute collaborations rather than instrument-vendor joint filings.
Who is filing, and where the field is still open
The assignee ranking covers 75 companies and institutions counted by record — the full set the data endpoint returns, not a top-50 or top-100 cut.
One clear leader, then a fast drop-off
The top-ranked assignee holds 16 records, roughly double the fifth-place holder's 8 and more than double tenth place's 6 — a steep early drop that flattens quickly into single- and double-digit filers.
Academic partnerships anchor several filing clusters
Several of the strongest co-filing relationships link a research institute with a university medical foundation, each pairing appearing on 7 shared records — a pattern that suggests grant-funded, multi-institution programmes rather than single-company R&D.
Recent-year activity has gone quiet among established filers
Several previously active assignees, including one instrument maker and multiple research institutes, show zero filings in the latest year, with one showing a -100% year-on-year change. Given publication lag, this likely reflects incomplete recent data rather than an actual stop in R&D.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| TREAT4LIFE AB | 0 | — |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | 0 | — |
| BRUKER DALTONIK GMBH | 0 | — |
| Van Andel Research Institute | 0 | -100% |
| University of Antwerp | 0 | — |
| Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek (VITO) | 0 | — |
| Emory University | 0 | — |
| MUSC Foundation for Research Development | 0 | -100% |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, licensing, or identifying open claim space.
Map claims against the under-claimed branches
Data file size management and histology registration show up in the search scope but carry lighter claim density than core matrix-deposition and spatial-resolution methods — worth a targeted prior-art pull before drafting.
Explore white space in EurekaWatch the co-filing clusters
The strongest assignee pairs each share 7 records, suggesting active joint programmes. Tracking their continuations and new filings is a faster early-warning signal than watching any single assignee alone.
Track assignee activity in EurekaRevisit the 2024-2026 window once lag closes
The 2021-2024 doubling is real, but 2025-2026 figures are still incomplete. Re-running this trend analysis in twelve months will give a truer read on whether the rebuild is continuing.
Set up trend monitoring in EurekaFrequently asked questions
The dataset ranks 75 assignees by record count, with the single leading assignee holding 16 of the 135 records in scope. The top 5 combined hold 51 records, or 37.8% of the total, while the top 10 combined hold 84 records, 62.2% of the total. Below that concentration sits a long tail of academic institutes and smaller developers each holding only one or two records, so the field is not controlled by a single dominant player.
Filing peaked in 2018 at 24 records, the highest single year on record, then declined before showing renewed growth: 2021 recorded 2 filings, rising to 4 by 2024, a +100% increase over that span. Because patent publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 figures in any dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as evidence of a slowdown.
Material analysis and testing methods, classified under IPC G01N, appear on 65.9% of the 135 records in scope, making it the single most common claim category. Electron and discharge tube hardware claims (H01J) follow at 34.8%, reflecting the mass spectrometer instrumentation itself. Medicinal preparation claims (A61K) and enzyme or DNA testing claims (C12Q) are present but secondary, at 20.7% and 14.1% respectively, indicating the field is claimed primarily as an analytical method and instrument rather than as a therapeutic application.
The evidence points to several branches inside the search scope that carry comparatively light claim density relative to core matrix-deposition and spatial-resolution methods, including data file size management for high-resolution imaging runs, automated histology-to-MSI registration algorithms, and section thickness standardization protocols. These sit adjacent to the heavily claimed G01N and H01J core rather than replacing it. A freedom-to-operate search focused specifically on these narrower branches, rather than on MALDI tissue imaging broadly, is likely to surface less-crowded prior art.
US20180348210A1, filed by TREAT4LIFE AB and published 2018-12-06, covers a method for determining specific ligand binding at a tissue site using displacement competitive inhibition across two adjacent tissue sections, with MALDI imaging mass spectrometry used to visualize bound ligand localization. It is a representative rather than the single most-cited filing in this dataset. Anyone building a competing binding-analysis workflow that uses adjacent-section competitive displacement combined with MALDI visualization should review its claim scope specifically, since the method's core steps are fairly narrowly described around that two-section comparison.
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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.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.