STING as an emerging therapeutic target for drug discovery: Perspectives from the global patent landscape.

BACKGROUND: The STimulator of INterferon Genes (STING) plays an essential role in the innate immune system by inducing the expression of type I interferons (IFNs) and inflammatory cytokines upon sensing cytosolic DNA. Although modulating STING has shown promise as a potential treatment for cancers and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in substantial pre-clinical studies, current preliminary clinical results of STING agonists have demonstrated limited anti-tumor efficacy. Currently, there is ongoing R&D targeting STING and focusing on the delivery of next-generation therapeutics. Whereas no comprehensive analysis on the STING patent landscape has been conducted to fill the gap between basic research progress and drug development and commercialization. AIM OF REVIEW: This study summarized the current agents in the clinical stage and global patenting profiles to help identify the current status, development trends, and emerging technologies of the nascent field of STING modulation. KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW: Rapidly increasing R&D efforts and outcomes targeting STING were indicated by the recently increasing number and pharmacologic classes of drug candidates in clinic as well as in emergent technological patenting activities. Despite the overall fragmental ownership of patents, several pioneers that have advanced the clinical evaluation of novel STING agonists have established the basis of STING-relevant inventions through their influential patents in the field. These patents also facilitated progress on novel STING modulators, relevant delivery systems, pharmaceutical compositions, and combination strategies with the potential for further enhancing therapeutic outcomes by targeting STING.

Tracing technological evolution and trajectory of biomass power generation: a patent-based analysis.

Biomass power generation technologies, which are now mature and competitive, can alleviate power shortages, reduce the damaging environmental effects of coal-based power generation, and provide alternative renewable energy. While understanding trends is essential for making policies and decisions, few studies to date have examined biomass power generation's technological evolutionary development path from a patent data perspective. This paper uses patent data to reveal the biomass power generation technological evolutionary trajectory. Using growth curve and citation network approaches, the evolution of the core technologies and the main trajectories over time were identified. After simulations and predictions based on the logistic growth curve, it was revealed that biomass power generation had entered technological maturity and would meet saturation in 2031. Main path analysis was introduced to trace the technological trajectory. The patent citation analysis revealed six main technology paths. Further analysis identified biomass power generation hybridization, the use of waste to generate power, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage as potential technologies to achieve negative emissions.

Global landscape of patents related to human coronaviruses.

At present, the COVID-19 pandemic is running rampant, having caused 2.18 million deaths. Characterizing the global patent landscape of coronaviruses is essential not only for informing research and policy, given the current pandemic crisis, but also for anticipating important future developments. While patents are a promising indicator of technological knowledge production widely used in innovation research, they are often an underused resource in biological sciences. In this study, we present a patent landscape for the seven coronaviruses known to infect humans. The information included in this paper provides a strong intellectual groundwork for the ongoing development of therapeutic agents and vaccines along with a deeper discussion of intellectual property rights under epidemic conditions. The results show that there has been a rapid increase in human coronavirus patents, especially COVID-19 patents. China and the United States play an outstanding role in global cooperation and patent application. The leading role of academic institutions and government is increasingly apparent. Notable technological issues related to human coronaviruses include pharmacochemical treatment, diagnosis of viral infection, viral-vector vaccines, and traditional Chinese medicine. Furthermore, a critical challenge lies in balancing commercial competition, enterprise profit, knowledge sharing, and public interest.

Global research on artemisinin and its derivatives: Perspectives from patents.

BACKGROUND: The isolation of artemisinin in 1971 heralded the beginning of a new era in antimalarial drug therapy, and artemisinin-based combination therapies are currently the mainstay of malaria treatment worldwide. Artemisinin-related studies have been extensively and intensively executed in the last few decades. However, although many purely technological reviews have been completed in this field, studies on artemisinin from the perspective of patents are still very limited. In terms of the importance of patents for academic research and commercial development, this study aims to reveal the overall patent landscape of artemisinin in the temporal, spatial, and technological dimensions. This work may provide a useful reference for relevant decision-making by researchers, investors, and policymakers. METHODS: All available patent data relevant to artemisinin derivatives and artemisinin-based drug combinations developed for use in various therapeutic areas were collected from the Derwent Innovation database. Descriptive statistics and citation analyses were used to analyze the patent landscape. RESULTS: A total of 4594 patent documents and 1450 simple patent families from 1986 to 2019 were analyzed. A comprehensive patent landscape of artemisinin is presented from the aspects of time trends, filing countries, patent ownership, co-patents, technological categories, therapeutic areas, and citation networks and pathways. CONCLUSIONS: China and the United States are mainly responsible for the dramatic increase of artemisinin patents over the last three decades. From the point of view of patents, notable technological issues on artemisinin are chemical and biological synthesis, novel combinations, new formulations and administration routes, drug repositioning, and minimizing the resistance. Furthermore, a critical challenge lies in how to stimulate the industry to develop artemisinin-related drugs by government regulation and public-private partnership.

Research and development of anti-Parkinson's drugs: an analysis from the perspective of technology flows measured by patent citations.

INTRODUCTION: By 2020, nearly one million people will live with Parkinson's disease (PD) in the U.S. This disorder has a significant impact on patients' quality of life and is a burden on families and society. Protracted efforts have been made to treat the disease. Cumulative technological innovations are encapsulated by patents, and patent citations have been used to analyze technology diffusion processes in R&D, which is essential to identifying technology evolution trends and providing a review of PD treatment from the perspective of technology flows. AREAS COVERED: A patent citation network was utilized to analyze technology flows. Patents related to anti-PD drugs were collected from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (U.S. PTO) database. A total of 1,231 patents and 2,995 internal citations granted between 1988 and 2017 were included and analyzed. EXPERT OPINION: To launch drugs with greater efficiency and safety, approaches such as long-acting sustained release, controlled osmotic release, and other novel drug delivery systems should be emphasized. Multi-target agents could effectively reduce side effects in mono-drug therapy and are worth further exploration. Investors should keep an eye on alpha-synuclein-related therapy, gene therapy, and other experimental therapies that might trigger a historic revolution in the treatment domain.

Global patent landscape of programmed cell death 1: implications of the rapid expansion.

INTRODUCTION: Inhibitors of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and its ligands are producing a paradigm shift in cancer treatment. The promising clinical outcomes and a multi-billion dollar market have prompted active research and development and resulted in relentless patent protection. However, the global patent landscape in this field remains unclear. AREAS COVERED: The patent landscape encompassing global patenting activities and developing trends in the field is discussed based on a data set of 1287 patent families. Patenting activities have expanded rapidly in the past three years. Specific trends in relevant aspects are presented, including patent filing countries, patent ownership, co-patents, technical areas, and technological connections in terms of patent citation relationships. EXPERT OPINION: Together with patenting momentum in recent years, fragmented ownership and dense technological connections of PD-1-related inventions raise the possibility of a patent thicket. The explosion of patent applications and complex citation relationships could also lead to considerable patent conflicts and disputes on overlapping intellectual property rights, in addition to existing legal uncertainties. Patent applicants in this field are encouraged to be aware of these concerns when developing valid patent strategies.

Research and development of antibiotics: insights from patents and citation network.

INTRODUCTION: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics develops at an alarming rate and leads to the increasing morbidity and health-care costs in recent years. However, the global research and development (R&D) of antibiotics has fallen behind the emergence and spread of bacterial resistance and the world is heading towards a 'post-antibiotic era'. In this context, systematic understanding of the technology landscape and evolving process of antibiotic R&D may help to provide insights for discovering future antibiotics more rationally. AREAS COVERED: Patents and patent citations are broadly believed to be powerful tools in representing the technology advances and capturing technology flows. In all, 707 U.S. patents related to antibiotic R&D are collected and analyzed. Furthermore, patent citations are visualized by a network-based approach, while the inter-relationship between patented technologies on antibiotics is further revealed. EXPERT OPINION: The current dry pipeline of antibiotic development requires substantial awareness and political support. It is essential to build an attractive and supportive environment for investment. Thus, a new antibiotic business model is needed to chase the balance between the market-oriented investment and public health goals. Additionally, drug development targeting Gram-negative bacteria, especially resistant Gram-negative bacteria, demands attentions from stakeholders because of their unmet medical needs.

Research and development of therapeutic mAbs: An analysis based on pipeline projects.

As the subject of active research and development (R&D) in recent decades, monoclonal antibodies have emerged among the major classes of therapeutic agents for treatment of many human diseases, especially cancers, infections, and immunological disorders. This article surveys the landscape of R&D projects of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), which are mostly used for disease immunotherapy, from a number of perspectives, including therapeutic indications, development phases, participants, and citation of related patents. The results of this research can be used as a reference resource for pharmaceutical researchers, investors, and policymakers in the field of therapeutic mAbs.

Research and development of anti-Alzheimer's drugs: an analysis based on technology flows measured by patent citations.

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a serious illness with dramatically increasing incidence. Tremendous worldwide efforts have been exerted to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset and prevent it from progressing. In order to discover future anti-AD medicines more rationally, it is crucial to understand the evolving process of existing related technologies from the perspective of technology flow. AREAS COVERED: Patent citation has been used broadly as a powerful tool to capture technology flows. This study collects patent data from IMS Health databases on anti-AD drugs, both marketed and in the research and development (R&D) pipeline. In all, 329 US patents from 1978 through 2013 and citations between them are analyzed, in addition to patents related to marketed drugs. EXPERT OPINION: To discover effective agents for AD treatment, one promising strategy is to integrate various technology clusters related to anti-AD drugs in terms of the extremely dispersed patent citation network in this area. In this context, governments should pay more attention to encourage basic research, especially to focus on cross-mechanism anti-AD agents. New theories and targets for AD, such as the tau protein hypothesis, are worthy of researcher note. Drugs targeting ß-amyloid peptide theory show promise for investors.