Tangential Flow Filtration Patents: Leaders & Filing Trends 2026
- Five companies hold 61.0% of the field. 161 of 264 records in scope sit with just five assignees, and the top ten account for 81.8% (216 records) — a narrow set of gatekeepers rather than a fragmented field.
- Filing activity dropped 92% from 2021 to 2024. Annual filings fell from 12 in 2021 to 1 in 2024; treat 2025 and later years as still filling in given the usual 18-month publication lag.
- Separation and protein chemistry dominate the claim space. B01D separation processes appear in 59.8% of records and C07K peptide/protein claims in 43.2%, showing where the crowding actually sits.
Filing growth compares 2021 (12 records) with 2024 (1) — 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 264 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
Tangential flow filtration (TFF) and its ultrafiltration/diafiltration variants are used to concentrate and purify biological macromolecules — proteins, antibodies, mRNA and other large molecules — by passing a process stream across a semi-permeable membrane rather than straight through it. The patent activity tracked here centres on the operational problems that separate a working process from a failed one: concentration polarization at the membrane surface, shear damage to sensitive biologics, single-pass configurations that avoid recirculation losses, and the buffer-exchange and final-formulation steps that determine yield.
This scope spans 2015 through the 2026 data cut-off and draws on 264 published records. The subject matter sits at the intersection of separation engineering (B01D) and biologics manufacturing (C07K, C12N), which is why membrane-process claims and molecule-specific claims so often appear on the same document.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 264 records: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claims.
Filing trend, 2017–2026
Filings rose to a peak of 14 in 2018, then declined; the tracked drop from 12 filings in 2021 to 1 in 2024 (-92%) is the clearest signal in the trend and should not be read as the field slowing further in 2025–2026, since those years are still incomplete due to publication lag.
IPC subclass composition
B01D (separation processes) covers 59.8% of the 264 records and C07K (peptides and proteins) 43.2%, with C12N (microorganisms and genetic engineering) at 22.3%. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC codes, these shares sum to more than 100% and should each be read against the full 264-record base, not against each other.
Shares are the percentage of the 264 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Tangential Flow Filtration and Concentration with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about tangential flow filtration and concentration and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records and a representative filing
US20210253633A1 — Single pass TFF hybrid configurations for enhancing concentration of macromolecule solutions
This disclosure provides a method for concentrating a solution of a macromolecule that is retained on at least two semi-permeable membranes with different molecular weight cutoffs (MWCOs), passing the solution through a hybrid configuration of those membranes staged in series in a single-pass tangential flow filtration (SPTFF) apparatus. The method targets efficient concentration of biological macromolecules such as proteins, antibodies and nucleic acids.Filed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, published 2021-08-19.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5256294A | Tangential flow filtration process and apparatus | 236 |
| 2 | US5490937A | Tangential flow filtration process and apparatus | 171 |
| 3 | WO2014152966A1 | Methods for purification of messenger RNA | 165 |
| 4 | US20040167320A1 | Methods of tangential flow filtration and an apparatus therefore | 137 |
| 5 | US20070246406A1 | Tangential flow filtration apparatuses, systems, and processes for the separation of compounds | 127 |
| 6 | US20160040154A1 | Methods for purification of messenger RNA | 106 |
| 7 | WO2001007599A1 | Method for rnase- and organic solvent-free plasmid DNA purification using tangential flow filtration | 92 |
| 8 | US20050197496A1 | Methods of protein fractionation using high performance tangential flow filtration | 79 |
| 9 | US6533938B1 | Polymer enhanced diafiltration: filtration using PGA | 61 |
| 10 | WO2004076695A1 | Methods of tangential flow filtration and an apparatus therefore | 53 |
Citation counts accumulate over time, so older foundational filings on tangential flow filtration apparatus lead this table; that reflects influence within the searched corpus, not current filing activity.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for filing strategy
Three patterns in this dataset matter more than any single ranking: how concentrated ownership is, how filing volume has moved, and where the claim density actually sits.
Ownership is narrow, not fragmented
161 of the 264 records in scope belong to just five assignees, and that share rises to 81.8% (216 records) across the ranked leaders. A newcomer is filing into a field where a handful of established biologics and membrane-process companies already hold the majority position.
Activity has cooled from its recent high
Annual filings fell from 12 in 2021 to 1 in 2024. That drop is real within the completed years, but 2025 and 2026 figures will rise as the roughly 18-month publication lag closes, so the most recent bars in the trend chart understate current activity.
Separation-process claims are the densest single layer
B01D covers 158 of 264 records and C07K peptide/protein claims cover 114. Filing a pure membrane-process claim without a biologics-specific angle means competing directly in the most crowded subclass in this dataset.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to tangential flow filtration and concentration, with the prior art for and against each one.
The assignee landscape
Fifty assignees make up the ranked field, with a steep drop from the leader to the mid-table: the top spot holds 47 records, fifth place holds 18, and tenth place holds 7.
A single dominant filer
The top-ranked assignee holds 47 of the 264 records in scope, well ahead of fifth place at 18 — a gap that signals an established process patent estate built over the full filing window rather than a recent land-grab.
A fast-thinning middle tier
Filing volume drops from 18 records at fifth place to 7 at tenth, and the top ten together still account for 81.8% of all records. Below that sits a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants.
Recent-year activity has gone quiet across the leaders
Several of the most active historical filers show zero filings in the latest tracked year, including one with a recorded -100% year-on-year change. Given the publication lag, this is more likely a reporting gap than a genuine exit from the space.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| EMD Millipore Corp | 0 | — |
| Amgen Inc | 0 | — |
| Genentech Inc | 0 | — |
| Translate Bio Inc | 0 | -100% |
| FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies UK Limited | 0 | — |
| GTC Biotherapeutics Inc | 0 | — |
| Shire Human Genetic Therapies Inc | 0 | — |
| NATRIX SEPARATIONS | 0 | — |
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 territory.
Map freedom-to-operate against the top ten
With 81.8% of records held by ten assignees, a freedom-to-operate review can focus there first rather than across the full ranked list of fifty.
Run an FTO scan in EurekaTrack the publication-lag correction
2025 and 2026 filing counts will rise as records publish; re-check the trend in six to twelve months before concluding the field has cooled.
Set up a filing alert in EurekaTest claim language in the under-claimed branches
Single-pass staging and shear-damage mitigation carry fewer dedicated claims than the core separation and protein classes — worth a novelty check before drafting.
Draft and check claims in EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
One assignee leads the ranked field with 47 of the 264 records in scope, well ahead of the fifth-place holder at 18. The gap between the leader and the rest of the field is steep, and the top five assignees together hold 61.0% of all records. That level of concentration means most freedom-to-operate work should start with the leading handful of companies rather than the full fifty-company ranking.
Filings dropped from 12 in 2021 to 1 in 2024, a 92% decline over that span, following a peak of 14 filings in 2018. However, patent publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so the low counts in 2025 and 2026 are very likely incomplete rather than a true drop-off. Any conclusion about a slowdown should be based on 2024 and earlier, not the most recent one or two years shown in the chart.
B01D, the IPC subclass covering separation processes including filtration, appears in 59.8% of the 264 records in scope, making it the single densest area. C07K (peptides and proteins) follows at 43.2%, and C12N (microorganisms and genetic engineering) at 22.3%. Because records often carry multiple IPC codes, a filing in this space frequently combines a membrane-process claim with a biologics-specific claim, which is why these two categories overlap so heavily.
US20210253633A1, filed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, claims a method for concentrating macromolecule solutions using at least two semi-permeable membranes with different molecular weight cutoffs staged in series within a single-pass tangential flow filtration apparatus. It is narrowly drawn to that specific hybrid multi-membrane staging approach rather than to single-pass TFF generally. Work using a single membrane stage, non-staged configurations, or different means of managing concentration polarization would likely sit outside its specific claim scope, though a formal freedom-to-operate opinion would need to check the full claim set and any continuations.
The dataset shows comparatively thin claim coverage in single-pass MWCO staging beyond the core hybrid configurations, buffer-exchange volume optimisation, shear-damage mitigation methods for labile biologics, and in-line sensing for concentration polarization. These sit adjacent to the dense B01D and C07K core rather than replacing it, so a workable strategy is to combine a specific operational mechanism from one of these branches with a defined biologic class rather than filing a broad process claim into the crowded core.
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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.