Identification of the hot sub-fields of tissue engineering and technological strength assessment based on patent analysis / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patent is the most effective carrier of technological information. Preliminary study evaluates the strength of technology development in this field from the angle of patent quantity and quality, regional distribution of patent applicants, countries/regions of patent acceptance, patent applicants, inventors, and technical fields OBJECTIVE: To identify the hot sub-fields of tissue engineering through patent analysis, show their technological strength, reveal China’s level globally, and also clarify the competition between China and United States on the basis of previous research. METHODS: Combining qualitative analysis with quantitative analysis, the hot sub-fields of tissue engineering were identified based on the patsnap patent database. It analyzes from three perspectives patent application, invention patent grant, and tripartite patent application, and demonstrates the scale and growth rate of technology development in the hot sub-fields from the perspective of the patent number and quality. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) There are four hot sub-fields in the field of tissue engineering bone, skin, nerve, and cornea; each has its own characteristics. Bone tissue engineering is relatively large-scale. (2) The scale in the skin and nerve sub-fields is limited; corneal tissue engineering has not yet reached a certain amount of scale, but the output of technological achievements with high-quality and high-market value is high. (3) The technological scale and growth rate in the field of bone tissue engineering in China are much bigger and faster than those in the United States, and it also has accumulated a certain number of high-quality technological achievements. The technological scales of skin and nerve sub-fields in China exceed those in United States, and high-quality technological outputs are about twice that in United States. The technological scale and high-quality achievements in the corneal tissue engineering in China are far beyond those in the United States. (4) China’s high-market-value achievements in the hot sub-fields of tissue engineering are still far behind the United States.