https://eureka.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/consensus-scoring-function-for-structure-based-virtual-screening-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off null · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Structure-Based Virtual Screening

Consensus scoring function patents for structure-based virtual screening

A patent landscape review of consensus scoring functions for structure-based virtual screening: filing trends, IPC composition, assignee concentration and

23
Published Records
US
Leading Jurisdiction
13
Filers Listed (max 100)
2024
Peak Filing Year

  • Filings are still small but climbing. The field grew from 2 families in 2021 to 3 in 2024, a +50% rise over that span, off a 2007 base of a single filing.
  • No single assignee dominates. The leading filer holds 7 families against a ranked field of 17 companies, with fifth and tenth place both sitting at just 2 families.
  • Bioinformatics classes outweigh chemistry classes. 56.5% of the 23 records in scope carry a G16B bioinformatics class versus 34.8% for C07B organic chemistry methods, showing claims skew toward computation over chemical synthesis.
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Published byPatsnap Research··6 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Field Overview

What this landscape covers

Consensus scoring combines the outputs of multiple scoring functions in structure-based virtual screening to improve the ranking of docked ligand poses over any single scoring method. Patent activity in this space sits at the intersection of bioinformatics, computational chemistry and drug design workflows, and the filings in scope reflect that mix: methods for calculating binding affinity, systems for combining multiple scores, and applications of those scores to compound selection. This is a comparatively small, still-forming corpus rather than a mature, heavily litigated one — 23 patent families span nearly two decades, with the bulk of activity concentrated in the last several years.

Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the most recent filing years in this dataset are undercounted and should not be read as a slowdown. The 2024 peak of 3 families is the last year that can be treated as materially complete.

Filing activity, 2007–2026
  1. RIBO TARGETS LIMITED7
  2. BIBOTARGETAB3
  3. YALE UNIVERSITY2
  4. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION2
  5. QUANTUM BIO SOLUTIONS2
  6. SCHRODINGER INC2
  7. UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION1
  8. MORLEY STEPHEN1
  9. ACCUTAR BIOTECHNOLOGY INC1
  10. GOOD CHEMISTRY INC1

Counted over all 23 published records, including filings from before 2007; the filing-trend chart below covers only the 12 records from 2007 onward, so the two charts are not the same set of documents. Ordered by volume only, not by importance or claim strength. Counted in published records, so one invention filed in several countries counts more than once. Names come from Patsnap's standardised assignee field as recorded on each document; subsidiaries and group companies are not merged. The icon before each name is read from the name itself (words such as University, Institute or Ltd); the data carries no organisation-type field, so treat it as a reading aid rather than a classification. Filings held by named individuals rather than organisations are removed where they can be identified (4 here); that identification is not exhaustive, so an individually held filing can still appear below. Either way those filings stay inside the totals above. This table shows the top 13 of the 13 filers returned for this search; the data endpoint returns at most 100 entities, so even that 13 is not the complete set of filers. A single record can name more than one filer, so these counts overlap and do not add up to the total.

Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from one Patsnap search for Consensus Scoring Function for Structure-Based Virtual Screening Patent Landscape, covering all matching records regardless of filing date (the search string sets no date limit). Counts cover published records only and move as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
The Numbers

Filing trend and technology composition

Two views of the same 23-family dataset: how filing activity has moved over time, and which technology classes those filings actually claim against.

A small field with a recent uptick (12 of 23 published records)

Filing starts from a single 2007 record and stays sparse through the following decade, then builds toward a 2024 peak of 3 families. The +50% rise from 2021 (2 families) to 2024 (3 families) is the clearest signal of momentum available in this data; years after 2024 are still filling in and should not be read against that trend.

A small field with a recent uptick (12 of 23 published records)0122312007200920112013201520172019202120233202502022 onwards are shaded as still filling in: a filing is only visible once it publishes, up to 30 months after filing.

Counted in published records by earliest filing year, not de-duplicated into families. A filing is counted in the year it was filed, but it only becomes visible after it publishes: roughly 18 months for most routes, and up to 30 months where a PCT application enters national phase. 2022 onwards are therefore still filling in and are shaded; no growth figure on this page uses them. Because this series counts documents rather than inventions, a rise can mean more inventions or the same inventions filed in more countries; this dataset cannot separate the two. This chart covers 2007-2026 (12 records); the 23 total quoted above includes earlier filings outside the window.

Claims lean computational, not just chemical

G16B (bioinformatics) appears in 56.5% of the 23 records in scope, ahead of G06F (electric digital data processing) at 43.5% and G01N (material analysis and testing) at 39.1%. C07B (general organic chemistry methods) and G16C (computational chemistry) sit lower, at 34.8% and 30.4% respectively, with G06N (AI-based computing) and C07K (peptides and proteins) trailing at 13.0% and 8.7%. Because records can carry multiple classes, these shares add up past 100% and should be read as coverage, not as a breakdown of a whole.

Claims lean computational, not just chemicalG16B · Bioinformatics1356.5%G06F · Electric digital data processi…1043.5%G01N · Material analysis & testing939.1%C07B · General organic chemistry meth…834.8%G16C · Computational chemistry730.4%G06G · Analogue computers417.4%G06N · Computing based on AI models313.0%C07K · Peptides & proteins28.7%Other417.4%

Shares are the percentage of the 23 published records in scope. One published record can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from one Patsnap search for Consensus Scoring Function for Structure-Based Virtual Screening Patent Landscape, covering all matching records regardless of filing date (the search string sets no date limit). Counts cover published records only and move as new filings publish.

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Representative Filing

A representative early filing

Representative Patent
US20090012767A12009-01-08

Method for Selecting Potential Medicinal Compounds (US20090012767A1)

DMITRY GENNADIEVICH TOVBIN

A method for structure-based drug design that predicts ligand binding affinities from a score generated by a scoring function accounting for protein structure, ligand structure and ligand position in the binding site. The scoring function is built using data on both active and inactive ligands, the inclusion of inactive-ligand data is presented as the key departure from prior scoring approaches.Filed 2009-01-08 by Dmitry Gennadievich Tovbin.

US20090012767A1, patent drawing 1US20090012767A1, patent drawing 2
View full filing

Selected as the first record the search returns under the database default order, then shown in full. It is not ranked by citations, claim breadth or commercial importance, and it is not a judgement about which filing in this space matters most.

Source: Patsnap Eureka. The first record the search returned, shown in full. Derived from one Patsnap search for Consensus Scoring Function for Structure-Based Virtual Screening Patent Landscape, covering all matching records regardless of filing date (the search string sets no date limit). Counts cover published records only and move as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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Reading The Data

What the numbers mean for a filing strategy

Four observations drawn directly from the filing trend, the IPC composition and the assignee ranking.

Growth
+50%
2021 → 2024 families

Momentum is real but still small

The rise from 2 families in 2021 to 3 in 2024 is a jump in a field this size, but the absolute numbers mean any single new filing changes the shape of the landscape. Treat the growth rate as directional, not as evidence of a saturated space.

Filing trend, 2021–2024
Concentration
7 vs 2
leader vs fifth/tenth place families

One filer ahead, a long tail behind

The leading assignee holds 7 families, ahead of the field, while fifth and tenth place are tied at 2 families each. That gap suggests one early or aggressive filer rather than an industry-wide land grab.

Assignee ranking, 17 companies
Composition
56.5%
of 23 records carry G16B

Bioinformatics framing leads chemistry framing

More records claim under G16B bioinformatics than under C07B organic chemistry methods (34.8%) or C07K peptides and proteins (8.7%). Filers are more often protecting the computational scoring method than the chemical output of screening.

IPC composition, 23 records
Geography
9 US filings
of documented receiving offices

US and PCT routes carry most activity

United States filings (9) and WIPO/PCT filings (7) account for most of the documented receiving-office activity, with UK, EPO, AT and Australia contributing smaller counts. That pattern points to US-first filing with PCT used to preserve international options.

Receiving offices
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Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?

Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to consensus scoring function for structure-based virtual screening patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.

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Source: Patsnap Eureka. Derived observations on the same dataset. Derived from one Patsnap search for Consensus Scoring Function for Structure-Based Virtual Screening Patent Landscape, covering all matching records regardless of filing date (the search string sets no date limit). Counts cover published records only and move as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Next Steps

Where to take this analysis

The figures above describe the field as it stands; the next step is usually to test a specific claim, company or gap against the full document set.

Check freedom-to-operate against the leader

With one assignee holding 7 families against a field of 17 ranked companies, a freedom-to-operate review should start with that leader's claim scope before assuming the space is open.

Run an FTO check in Eureka

Map the under-claimed branches

G06N (AI-based computing) and C07K (peptides and proteins) sit at the low end of the IPC composition, which can mean either little interest or an opening not yet claimed.

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Watch the next filing wave

Because 2025–2026 filings are still being published, tracking new entries against the 2024 peak is the fastest way to confirm whether the +50% growth trend continues.

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Source: Patsnap Eureka. Suggested next steps. No new data: every figure named here is one of those above. Derived from one Patsnap search for Consensus Scoring Function for Structure-Based Virtual Screening Patent Landscape, covering all matching records regardless of filing date (the search string sets no date limit). Counts cover published records only and move as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ

Common questions on this landscape

Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from one Patsnap search for Consensus Scoring Function for Structure-Based Virtual Screening Patent Landscape, covering all matching records regardless of filing date (the search string sets no date limit). Counts cover published records only and move as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP

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How this page was built, and what the numbers do and do not mean

Search. Every figure on this page comes from one Patsnap search, run once and not edited afterwards. This is the exact search string:

TAC:(("consensus scoring" OR "scoring function") AND ("structure-based" OR "structure based") AND ("virtual screening" OR docking))

Reading the field codes: TAC searches the title, abstract and claims of each record, not the full description. The search string sets no date limit, so the scope is every matching record in the database regardless of when it was filed. It is not restricted to recent years. How this string was built matters for how far the counts can be pushed. It was generated in batch from a topic list rather than hand-crafted for this page, and the result set is not manually screened. A keyword search over title, abstract and claims both over-captures (unrelated filings that happen to use the same words) and under-captures (the same invention written in different words). This page cannot measure either effect, so read every figure here as what this particular string returned, not as what exists in the field.

What is being counted. Two different units appear on this page and they are not interchangeable. The filer list and the technology split are counted in simple (DOCDB) patent families: one invention counts once however many countries it was filed in. The total, the jurisdiction split and the filing-year chart are counted in published records: the same invention counts once per publication. Record counts reward filing in many jurisdictions; family counts do not. Shares are only ever taken against a denominator in the same unit, and each one names it.

Who the filers are. Names come from Patsnap's standardised assignee field, as recorded on the documents themselves. They are not rolled up to corporate group: a parent and its subsidiaries appear as separate entries, and a portfolio acquired from another company stays under the name on the document unless the assignment is reflected there. This list is meant to carry organisations, not people. Filings held by a named individual are identified by matching the assignee against the inventors on the same search, and, for names written in Chinese, Japanese or Korean characters, by the name carrying no organisational suffix; those are removed from the list (4 of them here). Neither test is exhaustive: the inventor list it matches against is itself capped, and a personal name written in Latin script with no organisational wording in it cannot be told apart from a short company name by rule. So an individually held filing can still appear in the list. Those filings stay inside every total and share on this page either way, so the listed entries can add up to less than the total. A record shown in full further down still names its assignee exactly as the patent office records it, including where that is a person: that name is how the record is identified and checked. What is left out of the ranking is people as ranked entries, not people as cited sources. The table shows the top 13 of the 13 filers returned, ordered by count alone; the data endpoint returns at most 100 entities, so even that 13 is not every filer. One published record can name several filers and each is counted separately, so these rows are not slices of a divided whole: adding them together over-counts, and this page deliberately publishes no combined "top five" share for that reason. See every filer, individuals included

Dates. The year chart counts by earliest filing year, not publication year. A filing only becomes visible once it publishes: roughly 18 months for most routes, and up to 30 months where a PCT application enters national phase. Measured across these pages, the year four back from today still holds only about 89% of its eventual count. 2022 onwards are therefore shaded on the chart as still filling in. The data behind this page was retrieved shortly before the publication date shown above.

Legal status. Legal status was not available for this search, so no in-force figure is shown. Get the status breakdown in Eureka

Classification. The technology split uses IPC subclasses (four characters, for example H01M). A single record usually carries several, so the shares add up to more than 100% and a record can appear in more than one bar. Subclass is a coarse grouping; it describes the field a record was classified into, not what the claims cover. Break the classes down to subgroup level

Who wrote the words. The tables, charts, counts, shares and patent numbers on this page are produced directly from the search result by a program; none of them are written or estimated by a language model. The surrounding prose, headings, FAQ answers and the answers in the question panel are drafted by a language model that is given those same figures and is not permitted to introduce others. Prose can still mis-describe a correct figure, so where the two disagree, the tables and charts are the record.

Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.

Patent data carries limitations that apply to every figure above. Recent filings are under-counted, because an application is not public until roughly 18 months after filing and database loading adds further delay. The search string defines and constrains everything shown: records that use different terminology, or that sit outside the fields searched, are absent and cannot be counted. Applicant names, classification codes, legal-status codes and citation records are taken as recorded and may contain errors, duplicates, omissions or stale entries. Ordering by volume is not a measure of quality, scope, enforceability or commercial value, and a larger portfolio is not a stronger one. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.

Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, validity or infringement search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. No attorney-client relationship is created by it. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently against the primary records and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.

The question panel. The answers behind the suggested questions on this page were written when the page was generated, not in response to your click. The progress steps that play before an answer appears are an animation of how that analysis was done; nothing is being searched or computed at that moment. Typing your own question instead opens Patsnap Eureka, which does run it live.

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