Cancer Patents: Paracchi (Genenta Science) – The U.S. Leads, Europe Follows

In view of World Cancer Day, the European Patent Office (EPO) has published its second study on oncology technologies, providing an in-depth analysis of the fastest-growing technology sectors, including cell immunotherapy (where patent filings increased at an average annual rate of 37.5% between 2015 and 2021), gene therapy (+31%), and imaging analysis (+20%).

We revisit Pierluigi Paracchi’s commentary on this study. Paracchi, founder and CEO of Genenta Science, a Nasdaq-listed biotechnology company developing cancer therapies, offers insights into Europe’s position in cancer-related patenting.

Italy’s Position in Cancer Patents

Ranking sixth in Europe for families of patents related to cancer treatment, Italy stands among the leading nations in cancer-related intellectual property. Notably, it distinguishes itself with the highest share of early-stage startups (46%). However, European patent applications in this sector are slowing down compared to those from the United States and China. These findings come from the EPO study released in conjunction with World Cancer Day, observed on February 4.

Cancer remains a significant health threat in Europe, where almost 25% of global cases and over 20% of deaths occur, despite the region accounting for less than 10% of the world’s population. Technological advancements can play a crucial role in addressing this challenge. The EPO’s analysis highlights the fastest-growing technology sectors, including cell immunotherapy (with patent filings increasing at an average annual rate of 37.5% between 2015 and 2021), gene therapy (+31%), and imaging analysis (+20%).

Italy recorded over 1,100 International Patent Families (IPFs) between 2010 and 2021, representing more than 1% of the total, and accounted for 4.6% of all patented oncology technologies in Europe between 2017 and 2021. The study reveals a sharp contrast in growth phases: while Europe has a higher number of startups in the early and initial growth stages, the U.S. significantly surpasses Europe in the number of startups reaching advanced growth stages. Nearly 40% of U.S. cancer-tech startups have reached this phase, compared to just 24% in the EU and less than 27% in other EPO member states, highlighting the challenges European startups face in scaling successfully.

Paracchi’s Perspective: The U.S. Leads in Oncology, Europe Struggles to Keep Up

“The U.S. leads the oncology sector, while Europe is lagging behind,” comments Paracchi. “The chronic lack of venture capital puts us at a disadvantage. Europe and Italy have attempted to compensate for this gap with government-led initiatives, such as Italy’s CDP Venture Capital and Enea Tech Biomedical. However, these measures fail to close the gap due to slow investment cycles and small funding sizes. Policymakers,” adds the Genenta CEO, “must direct governmental investment agencies to streamline and consolidate their investments. Without strategic vision, Europe will be left merely importing new oncology therapies rather than developing them.”

The Role of Public Research Institutions

According to the report, Italy’s public research institutions have played a significant role in advancing oncology research. Direct research contributions accounted for 38.4% of progress between 2016 and 2021, exceeding the EU average of 34.9%. When including indirect contributions, Italy’s total contribution rises to 59.5%, underscoring the crucial role of these institutions in the fight against cancer.

Nearly half of all patents from EU member states between 2010 and 2021 originated from universities, public research institutions, or hospitals. Beyond direct patent activity, over 12% of EU cancer-related patent applications originated from research institutes but were filed by companies. In other EPO member states, research institutions contributed to nearly 30% of all patents, while companies accounted for 6.4% of filings.

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