Oligonucleotide Purification Patents: Leaders & White Space 2026
- One assignee dominates the ranking. The leader sits at 15 records against a fifth-place count of 5 and a tenth-place count of 4 — a steep drop-off rather than a gradual one.
- Filing activity has gone quiet since its 2019 peak. The peak year was 2019 at 6 records, and the tracked span from 2021 (2 records) to 2024 (0 records) shows a -100% change — though 2025-26 figures are still filling in given typical publication lag.
- Analysis classes outweigh synthesis classes. G01N (material analysis & testing) touches 50.0% of the 50 records in scope, ahead of C12Q at 34.0% and C07H at 32.0%, showing the claim pressure sits on characterization, not on making the oligonucleotide itself.
Filing growth compares 2021 (2 records) with 2024 (0) — 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.
What this landscape covers
Oligonucleotide purification and analysis sits at the intersection of separation science and nucleic acid chemistry: ion pair chromatography, anion exchange steps, shortmer separation, diastereomer complexity and the mass spectrometry work that confirms identity and purity before a synthetic oligonucleotide can be released for use. The 50 records in this scope run from 2015 through the 2026 cut-off, spanning receiving offices in the United States, under the PCT system, and at the EPO.
The dataset is small enough that a single leading assignee's activity shapes the whole trend line, and the record count means every percentage below should be read against a denominator of 50, not against the broader oligonucleotide therapeutics field.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 50 records: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density.
A 2019 peak followed by a drop to zero
Filings rose to a peak of 6 in 2019, then the tracked 2021-2024 window fell from 2 to 0 records, a -100% change. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025-26 entries in the chart are still incomplete and should not be read as a continued decline on their own.
Analysis and testing classes lead over synthesis classes
G01N (material analysis & testing) appears in 50.0% of the 50 records, C12Q (enzyme/DNA measuring & testing) in 34.0%, and C07H (sugars & nucleic acids) in 32.0%. A61K (medicinal preparations) and C07K (peptides & proteins) each clear roughly three in ten records. Because records can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares sum to well over 100% and should not be added together.
Shares are the percentage of the 50 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Oligonucleotide Purification and Analysis with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about oligonucleotide purification and analysis and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records in this scope
Pharmacogenetic DME detection assay methods and kits
The present invention relates to methods for detecting polymorphisms in enzymes related to drug metabolism (Drug Metabolizing Enzymes or DMEs) such as uridine diphosphate glucuronosyl transferase (UGT) gene promoter and cytochrome p450, using non-amplified oligonucleotide detection assays. The invention also covers pharmacogenetic DME detection assay kits.Filed by Third Wave Technologies, published 2006-07-20 as US20060160074A1.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20080261220A1 | Nucleic Acid Detection Assays | 67 |
| 2 | US20060160074A1 | Pharmacogenetic DME detection assay methods and kits | 67 |
| 3 | US20070178474A1 | Nucleic acid detection assays | 56 |
| 4 | WO2002044994A2 | Systems and methods for detection assay ordering, design, production, inventory, sales and analysis for use w… | 28 |
| 5 | WO2010090751A2 | Methods and materials for the detection of melamine | 22 |
| 6 | US20050026166A1 | Concurrent enzymatic polynucleotide synthesis and detectable signal generation | 22 |
| 7 | US5723296A | Amplification and detection of mycobacterial DNA K nucleic acids | 13 |
| 8 | US20110294220A1 | Methods and materials for the detection of melamine | 11 |
| 9 | EP0725148A2 | Amplification and detection of mycobacteria nucleic acids | 9 |
| 10 | WO2021119208A1 | Hybrid thermal – chromatographic system for simultaneous mineral purification and desalination of saline wate… | 8 |
Ranked by citation count within this searched corpus; older records accumulate citations simply by being available longer, so treat this as a signal of influence rather than of current technical relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three findings that change where a new application should sit and how it should be scoped.
A steep drop after the leader
The leading assignee holds 15 records in the ranking, while fifth place holds 5 and tenth place holds 4. That gap suggests one organisation built a defensive thicket early rather than the field being evenly contested among several comparable filers.
Filing has stalled, not accelerated
The tracked window from 2021 (2 records) to 2024 (0 records) shows a complete drop-off, and recent-year momentum by assignee shows zero activity across every named filer in the latest year. Read the 2025-26 tail with caution given publication lag.
Analysis claims outweigh synthesis claims
Material analysis and testing (G01N) touches half the record set, ahead of enzyme/DNA measuring (C12Q, 34.0%) and nucleic acid chemistry (C07H, 32.0%). Claim pressure concentrates on confirming and characterizing oligonucleotides rather than on making them.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to oligonucleotide purification and analysis, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the ground, and where it thins out
The ranking spans 33 companies counted in records — the full result the data endpoint returns, not a top-50 or top-100 cut. Activity concentrates hard at the top and tails off into single-filing entrants.
A single dominant filer
The top-ranked assignee's 15 records outpace the field by a wide margin, consistent with an organisation that built out assay and detection claims across the DME and pharmacogenetic space over multiple years.
A short second tier
Positions five through ten cluster tightly between 4 and 5 records each, a modest second tier rather than a deep bench of comparably-sized competitors.
Collaboration is narrow and repeat-based
The strongest pair, Luedtke Craig and Cracauer Raymond F, co-files 6 times; two other pairs involving Third Wave Technologies each recur 4 times. Co-filing exists but stays within a small circle rather than spreading across the ranked field.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Waters Technology Corp | 0 | — |
| Becton Dickinson & Co | 0 | — |
| Third Wave Technologies, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Waters Technology Ireland Limited | 0 | — |
| LUEDTKE CRAIG | 0 | — |
| CRACAUER RAYMOND F | 0 | — |
| NuStar Lab | 0 | — |
| The Regents of the University of California | 0 | — |
Where to take this from here
The dataset points to specific next steps rather than a general read of the field.
Check freedom-to-operate against the leader's cluster
With 15 records concentrated in one assignee's hands, any new filing on detection assay methods should be checked against that cluster specifically, not just against the field average.
Run a claim comparison in Patsnap EurekaWatch for a filing resurgence past 2024
Because 2025-26 records are still incomplete due to publication lag, a renewed filing wave could be underway without yet being visible in the public record.
Set an alert in Patsnap EurekaScope claims toward the under-claimed branches
Resin lifetime, diastereomer resolution and scale-up shortmer separation show thinner claim density than the core analysis classes, making them candidates for a first-mover filing.
Explore white space in Patsnap EurekaCommon questions on this landscape
The ranked field covers 33 companies, with the leading assignee holding 15 records compared with 5 at fifth place and 4 at tenth place. That drop-off means the field is not evenly split among several equal competitors; one organisation built a substantially larger portfolio in assay and detection methods than anyone else in this scope. A freedom-to-operate check should weight that leader's claims more heavily than the rest of the ranked list.
The tracked window shows a fall from 2 records in 2021 to 0 in 2024, a -100% change, after a peak of 6 records in 2019. However, because patent publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the 2025-26 figures in this dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as proof the field has gone cold. A cleaner read will only be available once those years finish publishing.
US20060160074A1, assigned to Third Wave Technologies and published 2006-07-20, covers methods for detecting polymorphisms in drug-metabolizing enzymes such as UGT and cytochrome p450 using non-amplified oligonucleotide detection assays, plus related kits. It is one of the most-cited records in this scope, with 67 citations, alongside a closely related sibling application also at 67. Anyone building a non-amplified detection assay for pharmacogenetic targets should review its claim scope directly rather than relying on citation count alone.
Relative to the core analysis classes (G01N, C12Q, C07H, all appearing in 30-50% of the 50 records), specific process steps such as resin lifetime management in anion exchange, diastereomer-resolving chromatography, and shortmer separation at manufacturing scale show thinner direct claim coverage. These are not zero-filing areas, but they sit below the density of the broad detection-assay claims that dominate the top of the ranking, making them plausible spots for a narrowly scoped first filing.
This landscape's assignee ranking counts 50 patent families against 50 total published records, so the family and document counts are aligned in this dataset. That matters because raw document counts can be inflated by continuations or multi-jurisdiction filing of the same invention; here, the family-level view is the more reliable unit for judging how many distinct inventions each assignee actually holds.
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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.