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.  Buy the report here.

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.