Patent Office Supports Vaccine Development by Analyzing 'mRNA' Patent Information

Image photo of the 'mRNA Vaccine Patent Analysis Report' released by the Korean Intellectual Property Office on the 8th. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) is supporting the development of COVID-19 vaccines by analyzing patent information related to mRNA (messenger RNA) technology. mRNA technology became commercialized due to COVID-19 and has recently emerged as a treatment for various diseases beyond just COVID-19 vaccines.

On the 8th, KIPO announced that it will release the "mRNA Vaccine Patent Analysis Report" through its patent information navigation system.

The report is organized by technology from the perspective of researchers to help them easily understand patent information related to mRNA vaccines. It is expected to serve as a compass for companies and research institutes developing mRNA vaccines in the future.

Currently, domestic companies and researchers cite the complex patent issues as obstacles to mRNA vaccine development.

However, since patent analysis requires a lot of time and high-level expertise, many face difficulties. The report is being released to guide companies and researchers in analyzing mRNA vaccine patents.

First, the report comprehensively analyzes platform technologies and company-specific patents related to mRNA vaccines among patents disclosed up to June, deriving a total of 691 patents.

By detailed technology, the report includes ▲ antigen optimization processes (50 patents) ▲ mRNA synthesis and modification processes (54 patents) ▲ mRNA separation and purification processes (28 patents) ▲ mRNA-lipid nanoparticle manufacturing processes (189 patents) ▲ formulation processes (61 patents) ▲ other disease application technologies (309 patents).

The technologies included in the report disclose information such as application numbers, patent claims, and domestic entry status for 389 patents, excluding some applied technologies.

In particular, information related to Moderna, Pfizer, and CureVac vaccines scattered across various public sources such as papers and patents has been collected and analyzed, allowing verification of the technologies used in mRNA vaccines, key patent information by production process, intellectual property disputes, and licensing status.

However, considering that ordinary patents take 18 months from application to publication, many unpublished patents related to COVID-19 vaccines exist. Also, since it takes considerable time for claims to be finalized after domestic application, continuous monitoring is necessary, according to KIPO.

Ryu Dong-hyun, Director of the Chemical and Life Technology Examination Bureau at KIPO, said, "In the urgent situation of domesticating COVID-19 vaccines, the report will serve as a means to support vaccine development companies in timely utilizing technical information." He added, "The report is also expected to be actively used in setting government research and development (R&D) directions related to mRNA pharmaceuticals."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.