Xiangjun Kong

Research and development of therapeutic mAbs: An analysis based on pipeline projects

As the subject of active research and development (R&D) in recent decades, monoclonal antibodies have emerged among the major classes of therapeutic agents for treatment of many human diseases, especially cancers, infections, and immunological disorders. This article surveys the landscape of R&D projects of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), which are mostly used for disease immunotherapy, from a number of perspectives, including therapeutic indications, development phases, participants, and citation of related patents. The results of this research can be used as a reference resource for pharmaceutical researchers, investors, and policymakers in the field of therapeutic mAbs

Research and development of anti-Alzheimer’s drugs: an analysis based on technology flows measured by patent citations

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a serious illness with dramatically increasing incidence. Tremendous worldwide efforts have been exerted to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset and prevent it from progressing. In order to discover future anti-AD medicines more rationally, it is crucial to understand the evolving process of existing related technologies from the perspective of technology flow. Areas covered: Patent citation has been used broadly as a powerful tool to capture technology flows. This study collects patent data from IMS Health databases on anti-AD drugs, both marketed and in the research and development (R&D) pipeline. In all, 329 US patents from 1978 through 2013 and citations between them are analyzed, in addition to patents related to marketed drugs. Expert opinion: To discover effective agents for AD treatment, one promising strategy is to integrate various technology clusters related to anti-AD drugs in terms of the extremely dispersed patent citation network in this area. In this context, governments should pay more attention to encourage basic research, especially to focus on cross-mechanism anti-AD agents. New theories and targets for AD, such as the tau protein hypothesis, are worthy of researcher note. Drugs targeting β-amyloid peptide theory show promise for investors.

Dendritic-cell-based technology landscape: Insights from patents and citation networks.

As the most potent antigen-presenting cells, dendritic cells (DCs) are pivotal players in regulating immune responses. DC-based technologies have generated a series of typical and promising therapeutic options, especially after the first DC-based cancer vaccine was approved by US. Food and Drug Administration (US. FDA). In this context, this paper employs patents and citation networks to conduct a fundamental analysis in order to show overall landscape of DC-based technologies. The results in this research can be used as references for decision-making in developing efficacious DC therapeutic products.

Pharmaceutical Technology Licensing: An Analysis in the Field of Cardiovascular Disease

The technological flows and licensing across institutions plays an essential role in the process of pharmaceutical innovation by integrating the competing resources of different institutions and sharing the costs and risks, especially in the current era of open innovation. This article aims to generally describe technology licensing activities on cardiovascular drugs and, based on visualizing technology flows at different stages, to further investigate the multistage leading performers and their licensing strategies. From the IMS R&D Focus, a world-leading database in the healthcare industry, the research sample comprises 632 licensing inventions for cardiovascular drugs from 1980 to 2014. Furthermore, a network-based approach is employed to visualize the technology flows by setting nodes to represent licensing institutions and edges for licensing behavior, and further to analyze institution leaders and licensing strategies through various indicators, e.g., out-degree, in-degree, and betweenness centrality. The results show that technology licensing networks gradually transformed from sparse to dense from the preclinical to marketed stages. There is obvious synergy and complementation among universities, multinational enterprises, and mid- and small-sized enterprises. R&D organizations represented by universities denote themselves as upstream in the pharmaceutical R&D chain. As a hub, multinational enterprises play an important role as technology integrators and show the most frequent technology licensing, both in technology inflows and outflows, whereas various small firms are viewed as satellite partners around multinational enterprises. This work provides valuable insights for pharmaceutical researchers, investors, policymakers, and technology brokers not only in the field of the discovery of cardiovascular drugs but also of other therapeutic drugs.

An Integrative Thrombosis Network: Visualization and Topological Analysis

A comprehensive understanding of the integrative nature of the molecular network in thrombosis would be very helpful to develop multicomponent and multitarget antithrombosis drugs for use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This paper attempts to comprehensively map the molecular network in thrombosis by combining platelet signaling, the coagulation cascade, and natural clot dissolution systems and to analyze the topological characteristics of the network, including the centralities of nodes, network modules, and network robustness. The results in this research advance understanding of functions of proteins in the thrombosis network and provide a reference for predicting potential therapeutic antithrombotic targets and evaluating their influence on the network.

Evolving patterns in a collaboration network of global R&D on monoclonal antibodies

ABSTRACT We investigated the evolution process of collaborative inter-organizational network of the research and development (R&D) on monoclonal antibody (mAb) over the past 30 y. The annual detection of the collaboration network provides dynamics on network structures and relationship changes among different organizations. Our research showed continuous growth of the networks scale and complexity due to the constant entry of new organizations and the forging of new partnering relationships. The evolving topological features reveal a core-periphery structure that became clearer over time and an increasing heterogeneity within the collaborative mAb R&D network. As measured by the number of network participants, dedicated biotechnology firms (DBFs) were the dominant organization form in the field of mAb development, but their average centrality was reduced during the period of 2004–2009, when pharmaceutical companies took over the positions of DBFs. Along with the network evolution, 2 waves of substitution on the leading positions were driven by technological innovations and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). In addition, this study analyzed organizational-level behaviors to help understand the evolution of network structures over the field of mAb development across the different technologically innovative or economic contexts.

Research and development of antibiotics: insights from patents and citation network

ABSTRACT Introduction: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics develops at an alarming rate and leads to the increasing morbidity and health-care costs in recent years. However, the global research and development (R&D) of antibiotics has fallen behind the emergence and spread of bacterial resistance and the world is heading towards a ‘post-antibiotic era’. In this context, systematic understanding of the technology landscape and evolving process of antibiotic R&D may help to provide insights for discovering future antibiotics more rationally. Areas covered: Patents and patent citations are broadly believed to be powerful tools in representing the technology advances and capturing technology flows. In all, 707 U.S. patents related to antibiotic R&D are collected and analyzed. Furthermore, patent citations are visualized by a network-based approach, while the inter-relationship between patented technologies on antibiotics is further revealed. Expert opinion: The current dry pipeline of antibiotic development requires substantial awareness and political support. It is essential to build an attractive and supportive environment for investment. Thus, a new antibiotic business model is needed to chase the balance between the market-oriented investment and public health goals. Additionally, drug development targeting Gram-negative bacteria, especially resistant Gram-negative bacteria, demands attentions from stakeholders because of their unmet medical needs.

Trends involving monoclonal antibody (mAb) research and commercialization: A scientometric analysis of IMS Lifecycle R&D Focus Database (1980–2016)

ABSTRACT This article aims to explore the trends of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) research and commercialization, mainly to examine the development trajectories by a contrastive exploration of successful and unsuccessful mAb. This work is based on two sets of R&D project reports, consisting of 517 discontinued mAb project reports and 64 marketed mAb project reports, from IMS Lifecycle R&D Focus. The analysis of drug development processes will provide the basic evidences of mAb technology commercialization. We examined the mAb research and commercialization from three perspectives: (1) Countries with mAb research activity; (2) Organizations participating in mAb research and development; and (3) Clusters of keywords (indication and class description) regarding mAb. The technology factor, the market factor and the abilities of participating firms to pursue commercialization were analyzed. Through data analysis, we have discovered that the research and development on mAb has reached a mature and diversified stage.

Global patent landscape of programmed cell death 1: implications of the rapid expansion.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Inhibitors of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and its ligands are producing a paradigm shift in cancer treatment. The promising clinical outcomes and a multi-billion dollar market have prompted active research and development and resulted in relentless patent protection. However, the global patent landscape in this field remains unclear. Areas covered: The patent landscape encompassing global patenting activities and developing trends in the field is discussed based on a data set of 1287 patent families. Patenting activities have expanded rapidly in the past three years. Specific trends in relevant aspects are presented, including patent filing countries, patent ownership, co-patents, technical areas, and technological connections in terms of patent citation relationships. Expert opinion: Together with patenting momentum in recent years, fragmented ownership and dense technological connections of PD-1-related inventions raise the possibility of a patent thicket. The explosion of patent applications and complex citation relationships could also lead to considerable patent conflicts and disputes on overlapping intellectual property rights, in addition to existing legal uncertainties. Patent applicants in this field are encouraged to be aware of these concerns when developing valid patent strategies.

Analysis of miRNA Functional Synergistic Network in Breast Cancer

In view of the importance of microRNAs (miRNAs) in breast cancer, it is of great significance to provide a better understanding on the synergistic regulations of miRNAs in breast cancer for developing relevant diagnosis and therapy strategies. We collected the differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) in breast cancer from public databases and literatures, retrieved the predicted target genes of DE-miRNAs from miRecords, and further used ClueGO to perform KEGG functional enrichment analysis. Moreover, the complex synergistic relationships among DE-miRNAs were demonstrated by constructing miRNA-miRNA functional synergistic networks and sub-networks. The results indicate that both up- and down-regulated miRNAs play essential roles in the tumorigenesis, progression, metastasis, angiogenesis, and/or immune escaping of breast cancer. Furthermore, we found that the synergistic effect is stronger among miRNA family members than non-family miRNAs. The miR-15 family, miR-203, miR-579, miR-495, and miR-432, play a significant synergistic role in the initiation and development of breast cancer. These findings might provide new insights in understanding the mechanisms of breast tumorigenesis mediated by miRNAs, as well as contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.