The healthcare industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by telemedicine, real-time diagnostics, smart hospitals, and access to digital therapies, and the growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), robotics and data management practices. In the last three years alone, there have been over 106,000 patents filed and granted in the healthcare industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Automated immunoassay analyzer.
However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
200+ innovations will shape the healthcare industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the healthcare industry using innovation intensity models built on over 443,000 patents, there are 200+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, drug delivery device security, microscopic image analysis models, and cellular imaging techniques are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Smart balloon catheters, automated immunoassay analysers, and AI-assisted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are smart fitness training system and non-invasive physiological monitoring, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for artificial intelligence in the healthcare industry
Automated immunoassay analyser is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence
Utilising an antibody as a reagent, immunoassay analysers use artificial intelligence to locate and measure the quantity of certain chemicals in a sample. These tools are employed in hospitals and clinical labs and are capable of carrying out several tests, such as those for cancer, allergies, therapeutic pharmaceutical monitoring, and other conditions.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 80 companies, spanning technology vendors, established healthcare companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of automated immunoassay analyser.
Key players in automated immunoassay analyser – a disruptive innovation in the healthcare industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to automated immunoassay analyser
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Vanda Pharmaceuticals | 142 | Unlock company profile |
| Labrador Diagnostics | 97 | Unlock company profile |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche | 89 | Unlock company profile |
| Caris MPI | 75 | Unlock company profile |
| Omni MedSci | 47 | Unlock company profile |
| Johnson & Johnson | 47 | Unlock company profile |
| Boston Medical Center | 46 | Unlock company profile |
| Biodesix | 46 | Unlock company profile |
| Waters | 43 | Unlock company profile |
| MeMed Diagnostics | 39 | Unlock company profile |
| Nestle | 36 | Unlock company profile |
| Gritstone Bio | 35 | Unlock company profile |
| Compagnie Merieux Alliance | 34 | Unlock company profile |
| OPKO Health | 31 | Unlock company profile |
| Idexx Laboratories | 27 | Unlock company profile |
| Coloright | 26 | Unlock company profile |
| Abbott Laboratories | 26 | Unlock company profile |
| Takeda Pharmaceutical | 25 | Unlock company profile |
| Cleveland Clinic Foundation | 25 | Unlock company profile |
| St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital | 24 | Unlock company profile |
| Royal Caribbean Cruises | 22 | Unlock company profile |
| Reliant Immune Diagnostics | 21 | Unlock company profile |
| Psomagen | 21 | Unlock company profile |
| Samsung Group | 20 | Unlock company profile |
| Globeimmune | 18 | Unlock company profile |
| Veracyte | 16 | Unlock company profile |
| Genocea Biosciences | 16 | Unlock company profile |
| Meridian Bioscience | 15 | Unlock company profile |
| Neste | 15 | Unlock company profile |
| Sysmex | 14 | Unlock company profile |
| Agios Pharmaceuticals | 14 | Unlock company profile |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Bio-Rad Laboratories | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Pacific Edge | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Siemens | 12 | Unlock company profile |
| Nanjing Xinjiekou Department Store | 12 | Unlock company profile |
| Immunovia | 12 | Unlock company profile |
| True Health Diagnostics | 12 | Unlock company profile |
| ChipCare | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| Cell ID | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| Carmentix | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| Integrated Health Leaders | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| Vyripharm Enterprises | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| Clalit Health Services | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| Fujifilm Holdings | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Androvia LifeSciences | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Koninklijke Philips | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Metamark Genetics | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| ProteomikaSL | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Exact Sciences | 8 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Vanda Pharmaceuticals is one of the leading patent filers in the field of automated immunoassay analysers. Some other key patent filers in the field include Labrador Diagnostics and F. Hoffmann-La Roche.
In terms of application diversity, Agios Pharmaceuticals leads the pack, followed by Boston Medical Center and Fujifilm. By means of geographic reach, Idexx Laboratories held the top position, followed by OPKO Health and Vertex Pharmaceutical in the second and third spots, respectively.
In the foreseeable future, a number of applications for automated immunoassay analysers will spur corporate growth. By using automated technologies, laboratories may better allocate their qualified personnel to more crucial tasks like interpreting and reviewing test results. In addition, its widespread application in cardiology due to the prevalence of cardiovascular illnesses and the desire for less invasive treatments could support industry growth.
To further understand how artificial intelligence is disrupting the healthcare industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
