Tangential Flow Filtration Patents: Leaders & Filing Trends 2026
- Filing has plateaued, not fallen. 2021 and 2024 both recorded 62 filings — a flat three-year span, with 2023 the peak year at 99 before the usual 18-month publication lag understates the newest years.
- The top of the field is concentrated but not closed. The five leading assignees account for 26.8% of all 1,150 records in scope, and the leading ten for 39.3% — leaving a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants.
- Separation science dominates the claim map, biology trails it. B01D separation processes touch 88.1% of records, while C07K peptide/protein claims (27.9%) and C12N genetic-engineering claims (24.5%) sit well behind, pointing to where flux-control claims still layer onto biologic-specific process steps.
Filing growth compares 2021 (62 records) with 2024 (62) — 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 1,150 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
Tangential flow filtration (TFF) flux control governs how crossflow rate, transmembrane pressure and shear are balanced during ultrafiltration and diafiltration of biologic products, from monoclonal antibodies to RNA. This landscape draws on 1,150 published records filed between 2015 and 2026 that combine TFF or crossflow filtration terminology with pressure, flux or shear-control language, filtered to separation, bioreactor and cell/genetic-engineering IPC classes. It is built to answer a practical question: where is claim space already occupied, and where is it still open for a team designing a flux-control scheme or drafting around existing art.
Coverage spans the major receiving offices — the United States, the EPO, the WIPO PCT route, Israel, Australia and Canada — reflecting a field where filing strategy tracks the regulatory geography of biologics manufacturing rather than any single jurisdiction.
Filing trends and technology composition
Two views matter here: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how the underlying technology splits across IPC subclasses. Neither view alone tells the full story of where flux-control innovation is concentrated.
A decade of growth followed by a plateau
Annual filings rose from 32 in 2017 to a peak of 99 in 2023. The most recent complete comparison — 2021 against 2024, both at 62 — shows 0% net growth over that three-year span, a plateau rather than a decline. Filings recorded for 2025 and 2026 will rise as publication catches up with the roughly 18-month lag typical of patent data.
Separation processes anchor the field
B01D (separation processes, including filtration) appears in 88.1% of the 1,150 records in scope, confirming that flux-control claims are drafted primarily as filtration engineering rather than as biology. C07K (peptides and proteins, 27.9%) and C12N (microorganisms and genetic engineering, 24.5%) show where biologic-specific process claims attach to the filtration core, while C12M bioreactor apparatus (14.3%), A61K medicinal preparations (14.2%), C02F water treatment (8.9%), G01N testing (8.3%) and C12P fermentation (7.4%) mark smaller but persistent adjacent claim areas.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,150 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 Flux Control with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about tangential flow filtration flux control and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe filings that define prior art
Method for producing and purifying RNA, comprising at least one step of tangential flow filtration
The present invention relates to method for producing and purifying RNA comprising the steps of providing DNA encoding the RNA; transcription of the DNA into RNA; and conditioning and/or purifying of the solution comprising transcribed RNA by one or more steps of tangential flow filtration (TFF).Filed by CureVac Manufacturing GmbH, published 2026-02-12 — illustrates how TFF flux-control claims are now being anchored specifically to RNA purification workflows rather than generic protein processing.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6852219B2 | Fluid separation and delivery apparatus and method | 295 |
| 2 | US5256294A | Tangential flow filtration process and apparatus | 236 |
| 3 | US20080004206A1 | Albumin fusion proteins | 206 |
| 4 | US5879715A | Process and system for production of inorganic nanoparticles | 181 |
| 5 | US5490937A | Tangential flow filtration process and apparatus | 171 |
| 6 | US6837995B1 | Device for concentrating and purifying macromolecules | 134 |
| 7 | US6365395B1 | Process for removing protein aggregates and virus from a protein solution | 132 |
| 8 | US6702941B1 | Fluid treatment elements adapted for cross flow treatment | 118 |
| 9 | US6607669B2 | Method and apparatus for enhancing filtration yields in tangential flow filtration | 113 |
| 10 | US20040050791A1 | Asymmetric hollow fiber membranes | 108 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and skew toward older filings — a high count signals a foundational reference, not 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 technology split are read together: concentration at the top, a plateau rather than a slowdown, and a claim map still weighted toward separation engineering over biology-specific process steps.
The top of the field is dense but leaves room
Five assignees account for 26.8% of all records in scope, and the leading ten reach 39.3%. That leaves roughly three-fifths of filings spread across a long tail of entrants — a field with an established core but no single gatekeeper.
Flat, not falling
Filing volume held level between 2021 and 2024 after peaking at 99 in 2023. Because publication lags filing by around 18 months, the lower counts recorded for 2025 and 2026 understate real activity rather than signalling a genuine drop-off.
Separation engineering still leads biology-specific claims
Nearly nine in ten records touch B01D separation-process claims, against under a third for C07K peptide and protein claims. Flux control is drafted primarily as an engineering problem, with biologic-specific limitations layered on top rather than driving the core claim.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to tangential flow filtration flux control, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where activity has cooled
The leader in this ranking sits well ahead of the field at 116 records, with fifth place at 34 and tenth place at 24 — a steep drop-off after the first handful of names. Recent-year momentum figures show several established filers, including some in the top ten, recording zero filings in the latest tracked year, which is consistent with the broader plateau rather than any single company's retreat.
A clear leader, not a monopoly
The top-ranked assignee holds 116 records against a fifth-place count of 34 — a wide gap at the very top, but one that still leaves the majority of filings distributed across the rest of the ranked field.
Co-filing concentrates among a handful of pairs
The strongest co-assignee relationship in the dataset spans 36 shared records, with a second pair at 32. Only ten co-assignee pairs appear at all, indicating that most flux-control filing is done independently rather than through joint ventures.
Established filers have gone quiet recently
Multiple assignees that built large historical portfolios, including one with a -100% year-on-year change, show zero recorded filings in the latest tracked year. Given the publication lag, this reads as a reporting gap for several names rather than a confirmed exit from the field.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Genentech, Inc. | 2 | — |
| EMD Millipore Corp. | 0 | — |
| Amgen Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Pall Corp. | 0 | — |
| Novartis AG | 0 | — |
| Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Danisco US Inc. | 0 | — |
| Genzyme Corp. | 0 | -100% |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a field with an occupied engineering core and a thinner biology-specific layer on top. The next steps depend on whether the goal is defensive clearance or offensive filing.
Map claim scope against the separation-process core
With 88.1% of records touching B01D, any new flux-control claim needs to be checked against a dense separation-engineering baseline before biology-specific limitations are added.
Run a claim comparison in EurekaTrack the plateau into 2025–2026
The 2021–2024 flat trend means the real signal for 2025–2026 will only be visible once publication catches up; revisit filing counts on a rolling basis rather than reading the latest year at face value.
Set up filing alerts in EurekaProbe the under-claimed branches directly
Sub-areas like RNA-specific diafiltration and in-line flux sensing show thinner density than the core — worth a targeted prior-art pull before committing claim language.
Explore white space in EurekaQuestions practitioners ask about this landscape
This landscape identifies 1,150 published records filed between 2015 and 2026 that combine tangential flow filtration or crossflow filtration terminology with flux, pressure or shear-control language, restricted to relevant separation, bioreactor and genetic-engineering IPC classes. The count includes all publication types captured by the search string, not a curated subset. Because a single invention can generate multiple publications across jurisdictions, family-level counts are the more reliable unit for judging true portfolio size.
The ranking covers 100 companies, with the leading assignee holding 116 records, fifth place at 34, and tenth place at 24 — a steep drop after the top few names. The five leading assignees combined account for 26.8% of all 1,150 records in scope, and the top ten reach 39.3%, meaning a majority of filings still sit outside the most active names. This is a field with an identifiable core group of filers but a long tail of smaller entrants rather than a single dominant gatekeeper.
Filing volume grew substantially from 32 records in 2017 to a peak of 99 in 2023, and the most recent complete comparison shows 2021 and 2024 both at 62 filings — a flat, 0% change over that span rather than a decline. Counts for 2025 and 2026 appear lower only because patent publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so recent years are still filling in. Reading the latest one or two years as a slowdown would be a misreading of how patent data becomes visible over time.
Separation-process claims under IPC class B01D appear in 88.1% of the 1,150 records in scope, making filtration engineering the dominant framing for flux-control inventions. Biology-specific claims are present but smaller in share: C07K peptide and protein claims cover 27.9% of records and C12N microorganism and genetic-engineering claims cover 24.5%. Smaller but persistent overlaps appear with bioreactor apparatus, medicinal preparations, water treatment, testing methods and fermentation, each in the single-to-mid-teens percentage range.
Relative to the dense separation-process core, several sub-areas show thinner claim density, including automated shear-rate feedback control, single-use cassette flux modelling, RNA-specific diafiltration protocols, in-line permeate flux sensing and fouling-adaptive pressure ramping. These branches sit at the intersection of the core filtration claims and the smaller biology-specific IPC classes, where fewer assignees have staked broad claims. A freedom-to-operate search focused on these narrower branches, rather than the general TFF terminology, is likely to surface fewer blocking references.
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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.