Sequencing by Synthesis Patents: Who Leads, Trends 2026
- Concentrated at the top. the five leading assignees account for 52.9% of all 3,662 records in scope, and the top ten hold 67.2%.
- Filing has cooled from its 2019 peak. 407 records that year versus a -50% drop from 2021 (309) to 2024 (153), the last complete filing year.
- Claim density sits in enzymatic chemistry, not hardware. C12Q covers 70.4% of records, more than double the next largest class, G01N at 26.6%.
Filing growth compares 2021 (309 records) with 2024 (153) — 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 3,662 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
Sequencing by synthesis chemistry spans the reagent and detection layer of next-generation sequencing: reversible terminator nucleotides, dye chemistry, nucleotide incorporation kinetics, and the error-profile and phasing/prephasing corrections that keep read quality usable at longer cycle counts. This dataset pulls 3,662 published records filed or published between 2015 and mid-2026 that reference these mechanisms directly, rather than sequencing platforms in general.
Because publication trails filing by roughly 18 months, the most recent one to two years in any trend chart will always look thinner than the underlying filing activity actually was. Treat 2024 as the last year with a reasonably complete picture, and read 2025-2026 as a floor, not a ceiling.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 3,662 records: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses the claims actually sit in.
A 2019 peak, then a step down
Filings ran from 166 in 2017 to a peak of 407 in 2019. The clearest recent signal is a -50% move from 309 records in 2021 to 153 in 2024, the last year the dataset treats as complete; 2025 and 2026 figures will fill in as publication catches up.
Enzymatic chemistry dominates the class mix
C12Q (enzyme/DNA measuring and testing) appears in 70.4% of the 3,662 records, far ahead of G01N material analysis (26.6%), G16B bioinformatics (21.6%) and C12N genetic engineering (21.3%). Smaller shares in C07H nucleic acid chemistry, B01L lab apparatus, G06F data processing and C12P fermentation mark the adjacent, less-crowded branches.
Shares are the percentage of the 3,662 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Sequencing by Synthesis Chemistry with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about sequencing by synthesis chemistry and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited prior art and a recent filing worth reading closely
US12656313B2 — Methods and devices for sequencing nucleic acids in smaller batches
The invention provides methods and compositions, including algorithms, computer readable media, computer programs, apparatus, and systems for determining the identity of nucleic acids in nucleotide sequences using data obtained from sequencing by synthesis methods. A plurality of smaller flow cells is employed, each with a relatively small area to be imaged, to provide greater flexibility and efficiency.Filed by Isoplexis Corporation, published 2026-06-16 — one of the more recent grants in scope, illustrating how flow-cell partitioning claims are now layering on top of the core sequencing-by-synthesis chemistry.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20100137143A1 | Methods and apparatus for measuring analytes | 2,838 |
| 2 | US6274320B1 | Method of sequencing a nucleic acid | 2,166 |
| 3 | US7244559B2 | Method of sequencing a nucleic acid | 1,307 |
| 4 | US6911345B2 | Methods and apparatus for analyzing polynucleotide sequences | 1,201 |
| 5 | US20100301398A1 | Methods and apparatus for measuring analytes | 1,188 |
| 6 | US6818395B1 | Methods and apparatus for analyzing polynucleotide sequences | 1,163 |
| 7 | US20080014589A1 | Microfluidic devices and methods of use thereof | 1,118 |
| 8 | US20080003142A1 | Microfluidic devices | 1,089 |
| 9 | US7264929B2 | Method of sequencing a nucleic acid | 1,045 |
| 10 | US20130079232A1 | Methods and compositions for nucleic acid sequencing | 920 |
Citation counts accumulate over time, so older filings from the original sequencing-by-synthesis platform naturally lead the table; treat them as markers of foundational influence rather than of current filing activity.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three read-outs from the dataset that matter more than the raw counts on their own.
The core chemistry is locked up by a small group
Just five assignees account for 52.9% of all records in scope, and that share only rises to 67.2% once the next five are added. New entrants are not competing for open ground in the core reversible-terminator and dye-chemistry claims; they are competing for the remaining half.
Filing volume has come off its 2019 peak
The peak year was 2019 at 407 records. The comparable, complete-year figures show a -50% drop from 309 records in 2021 to 153 in 2024, suggesting the initial land-grab phase around core chemistry has passed even before accounting for publication lag.
Claim density sits in the enzymatic layer
C12Q enzyme/DNA measurement claims appear in 70.4% of the 3,662 records, well ahead of material analysis (G01N, 26.6%) and bioinformatics (G16B, 21.6%). Fermentation and enzymatic synthesis (C12P, 5.2%) and lab apparatus (B01L, 8.7%) carry the lightest claim density among the tracked classes.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to sequencing by synthesis chemistry, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and who has slowed down
Ranking position and recent-year momentum tell different stories: a leader by cumulative volume can still be pulling back sharply year over year, and vice versa.
One assignee holds a clear lead by volume
The top-ranked assignee holds 764 records, more than four times the fifth-place figure of 158. That gap is the clearest sign that core sequencing-by-synthesis chemistry claims are dominated by one filing programme rather than split evenly across a handful of comparable players.
The biggest filers are pulling back fastest
Recent-year momentum shows the largest assignees cutting volume sharply: one leading filer is down 88% year over year to 4 records, another down 90% to 2. Several long-standing filers show zero records in the latest year, which is as much a publication-lag artefact as a real stop.
Co-assignee filing is concentrated within corporate families
All ten tracked co-assignee pairs sit within what appear to be related corporate entities rather than cross-company collaborations, with the strongest pairing appearing on 106 shared records. This points to internal entity restructuring and multi-jurisdiction filing strategy, not joint R&D between competitors.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Element Biosciences, Inc. | 4 | -88% |
| Illumina, Inc. | 2 | -90% |
| Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. | 1 | 0% |
| Natera, Inc. | 1 | 0% |
| Illumina Cambridge Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Life Technologies Corporation | 0 | — |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | 0 | -100% |
| Illumina Singapore Pte Ltd | 0 | — |
Where to take this next
This landscape identifies where claim density sits and where it thins out. Turning that into a filing or freedom-to-operate decision means going deeper on the specific sub-areas that matter to your programme.
Map your own claim language against the leaders
Run your draft claims against the core C12Q and G01N holdings from the leading assignees to see how much overlap exists before you file.
Explore in Patsnap EurekaTrack momentum shifts as 2025-2026 data fills in
Publication lag means the current downturn reading could shift; set up monitoring on the assignees showing the sharpest recent pullbacks.
Set up monitoring in Patsnap EurekaInvestigate the under-claimed branches
Cycle-time, reagent stability and error-profile correction show lighter claim density than the core chemistry — worth a dedicated search before committing to a filing strategy.
Search white space in Patsnap EurekaCommon questions on sequencing by synthesis patents
One assignee leads clearly by volume, holding 764 records against 158 for the fifth-ranked filer and 63 for the tenth. The top five assignees combined account for 52.9% of the 3,662 records in scope, and the top ten reach 67.2%. That level of concentration means most of the foundational reversible-terminator and dye-chemistry claim space is already occupied by a small group, so new filers are generally working around existing claims rather than into open territory.
The complete-year data shows a real drop: filings fell from 309 in 2021 to 153 in 2024, a -50% change, after peaking at 407 in 2019. However, publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the lower counts shown for 2025 and 2026 are not yet a reliable read on current filing activity. The 2021-2024 comparison is the soundest basis for saying the pace has cooled from its peak.
C12Q, the enzyme and DNA measurement/testing classification, appears in 70.4% of the 3,662 records in scope, making it by far the densest classification. G01N material analysis (26.6%), G16B bioinformatics (21.6%) and C12N genetic engineering (21.3%) follow well behind. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these percentages overlap rather than sum to 100%, which is expected.
The classes with the lightest representation among the eight tracked IPC subclasses are C12P fermentation and enzymatic synthesis (5.2% of records) and B01L lab apparatus (8.7%), suggesting these adjacent process and hardware layers carry less claim density than the core chemistry. Specific sub-areas worth a dedicated freedom-to-operate search include cycle-time reduction reagents, reagent stability formulations and phasing/prephasing correction models, none of which show the same concentration seen in the core enzymatic claims.
US12656313B2, published 2026-06-16 and assigned to Isoplexis Corporation, covers methods and devices for sequencing nucleic acids using a plurality of smaller flow cells, each imaging a relatively small area, layered on top of sequencing-by-synthesis chemistry. It is a useful marker of where recent filing activity is headed: instrumentation and flow-cell partitioning claims built on top of established chemistry, rather than new claims to the core nucleotide incorporation or reversible terminator mechanisms themselves. Anyone building similar flow-cell partitioning approaches should review its specific claim scope before finalising a design.
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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.