GINC Technology
Capability group

Biotechnology & Health Technologies

The capacity to read, write, make and deploy biology: genomics and biological data, engineering biology, biomanufacturing, radioisotope medicine, and the therapeutics and countermeasures that protect the population.

Domain
Critical Technology · Hard Power
Identifier
factbase.org/cpg/C1R7JPV524
Capabilities
5

Bounds. Holds biotechnology as national capacity; the health system that delivers care belongs to Human Capital, hospitals, laboratories and stockpiles to Strategic Infrastructure, biological defence to National Security, the industry's economic weight to the economic domains, and the governance of biology, biosafety and research oversight, to the governance domain. Dual-use capacity is recorded as capacity, with employment classified where it occurs.

Capabilities

The 5 capabilities

Genomics & Biological DataSR9QT9QP16The capacity to read and hold biology at national scale: sequencing, genomic analysis and the biological datasets that are becoming strategic assets in their own right.Research14.9k papers +20%China 20%Patents87.9k families +57%China 70%Synthetic Biology & Genetic EngineeringGKT52EY61SThe capacity to write biology: engineering organisms and biological systems, gene editing, design tools and the platform technologies that turn biology into an engineering discipline.Research6.8k papers +5%China 20%Patents135.1k families +64%China 70%BiomanufacturingSXV2R9FW2KThe capacity to make with biology: fermentation, cell and gene production platforms, vaccine and biologics manufacture, and the bioprocess technology that turns biological designs into supply.Research2.4k papers +42%China 14%Patents126.5k families +38%China 67%Nuclear Medicine & Radioisotope TechnologiesJH8DZ65Q2EThe capacity to produce and apply medical radioisotopes and radiation technologies, isotope supply, radiopharmaceuticals, and the therapy and imaging systems that depend on a fragile global chain.Research33.4k papers +6%United States 21%Patents14.5k families +29%China 51%Advanced Therapeutics, Vaccines & Medical CountermeasuresW75WG1C328The capacity to develop and field advanced therapeutics, vaccines and medical countermeasures, new modalities, antimicrobials, and the development-at-speed capability that pandemics and biological threats demand.Research94.7k papers +104%United States 21%Patents81.3k families +55%China 47%

The capabilities compared

Papers and patent families, 2020–2024, with growth on the five years before and the leading nation in each.

CapabilityPapersGrowthResearch leaderFamiliesGrowthPatent leader
Genomics & Biological Data14.9k+20%China 20%87.9k+57%China 70%
Synthetic Biology & Genetic Engineering6.8k+5%China 20%135.1k+64%China 70%
Biomanufacturing2.4k+42%China 14%126.5k+38%China 67%
Nuclear Medicine & Radioisotope Technologies33.4k+6%United States 21%14.5k+29%China 51%
Advanced Therapeutics, Vaccines & Medical Countermeasures94.7k+104%United States 21%81.3k+55%China 47%
Research

Who publishes it

Papers by year for each capability, and the nations' shares of the group's papers, 2020–2024. A capability that shares a v0.0 topic with another counts it in both.

  1. 1United States20.5%31,245 papers
  2. 2China9.1%13,911 papers
  3. 3United Kingdom6.0%9,166 papers
  4. 4India4.8%7,241 papers
  5. 5Germany3.9%5,992 papers
  6. 6Italy3.3%4,952 papers
  7. 7Canada2.9%4,491 papers
  8. 8Australia2.7%4,131 papers
  9. 9France2.4%3,712 papers
  10. 10Japan2.4%3,691 papers
Patents

Who patents it

Patent families by priority year for each capability, and the origin nations' shares of the group's families, 2020–2024. A family in two capabilities' classes counts in both.

  1. 1China64.3%286,282 families
  2. 2United States16.0%71,206 families
  3. 3South Korea5.1%22,917 families
  4. 4Japan4.2%18,894 families
  5. 5Germany1.4%6,192 families
  6. 6United Kingdom1.1%4,750 families
  7. 7France0.9%3,892 families
  8. 8Switzerland0.8%3,624 families
  9. 9Canada0.6%2,756 families
  10. 10Taiwan0.5%2,309 families
Companies

Who makes it

The companies across the group's capabilities, the global leaders and the leading firms of every region.

203 companies in Biotechnology & Health Technologies, from 39 nations across 8 regions; the leading 25 below. Sorted by how experts see each company's global relevance in its strongest capability of the group, from very high to very low.

  1. Very high23 companies
  2. 1

    United StatesGinkgo Bioworks

    Largest horizontal cell-programming platform, running automated foundries that design and engineer organisms for pharma, agriculture and industrial customers.

    In Synthetic Biology & Genetic Engineering

    Very high relevance · Professional & data services · United States, Boston · founded 2008

  3. 2

    United StatesIllumina

    Dominant supplier of short-read sequencing-by-synthesis instruments (NovaSeq X, NextSeq, MiSeq) and the top international patent applicant in this capability.

    In Genomics & Biological Data

    Very high relevance · Equipment & machinery · United States, San Diego · founded 1998 · 8,970 staff

  4. 3

    United StatesPfizer

    Co-developed and manufactured the Comirnaty mRNA COVID-19 vaccine with BioNTech, produces Paxlovid oral antiviral and the Prevnar and Abrysvo vaccine franchises.

    In Advanced Therapeutics, Vaccines & Medical Countermeasures

    Very high relevance · Chemicals & gases · United States, New York · founded 1849 · 81k staff

  5. 4

    GermanySiemens Healthineers

    Leading maker of SPECT and PET/CT scanners (Biograph line) and, through PETNET Solutions, one of the largest PET radiopharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution networks; also owns Varian radiotherapy.

    In Nuclear Medicine & Radioisotope Technologies

    Very high relevance · Hardware & devices · Germany, Erlangen · founded 1847 · 72k staff

  6. 5

    United StatesThermo Fisher Scientific

    Largest supplier of bioprocess media, single-use systems and analytics, and through Patheon one of the largest biologics and viral-vector CDMOs.

    In Biomanufacturing

    Very high relevance · Equipment & machinery · United States, Waltham · founded 1956 · 125k staff

  7. 6

    United StatesDanaher (Cytiva, Pall)

    Its Cytiva and Pall units are the leading suppliers of chromatography resins, filtration, bioreactors and turnkey modular biologics plants (KUBio).

    In Biomanufacturing

    Very high relevance · Equipment & machinery · United States, Washington, D.C. · founded 1969 · 63k staff

  8. 7

    United StatesGE HealthCare

    Major supplier of PET/CT, SPECT/CT and cyclotrons plus a Pharmaceutical Diagnostics unit making SPECT and PET tracers (e.g. DaTscan, Vizamyl) and owner of the MIM Software molecular-imaging suite.

    In Nuclear Medicine & Radioisotope Technologies

    Very high relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, Chicago · founded 2023 · 53k staff

  9. 8

    United StatesModerna

    mRNA platform company behind Spikevax (COVID-19) and mRESVIA (RSV), with a pipeline of mRNA vaccines for influenza, CMV and individualized cancer vaccines.

    In Advanced Therapeutics, Vaccines & Medical Countermeasures

    Very high relevance · Medicines & vaccines · United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts · founded 2010 · 5,800 staff

  10. 9

    ChinaBGI Group

    China's genomics champion; its affiliate MGI Tech (SSE 688114) makes DNBSEQ sequencers that compete with Illumina, and BGI Genomics (SZSE 300676) is one of the world's largest sequencing service providers.

    In Genomics & Biological Data

    Very high relevance · Professional & data services · China, Shenzhen · founded 1999

  11. 10

    SwitzerlandLonza

    World's largest contract development and manufacturing organisation for biologics, cell and gene therapies, with mammalian and microbial capacity across Europe, US and Asia.

    In Biomanufacturing

    Very high relevance · Contract manufacturing · Switzerland, Basel · founded 1897 · 18k staff

  12. 11

    United StatesMerck & Co. (MSD)

    Major vaccine maker (Gardasil, Capvaxive, Ervebo Ebola vaccine) and developer of antivirals (Lagevrio) and novel antibiotics.

    In Advanced Therapeutics, Vaccines & Medical Countermeasures

    Very high relevance · Medicines & vaccines · United States, Rahway, New Jersey · founded 1891 · 75k staff

  13. 12

    SwitzerlandNovartis

    Global leader in radioligand therapy with Lutathera and Pluvicto (Lu-177), produced by its Advanced Accelerator Applications unit across dedicated radiopharmaceutical plants.

    In Nuclear Medicine & Radioisotope Technologies

    Very high relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Switzerland, Basel · founded 1996 · 76k staff

  14. 13

    United StatesTwist Bioscience

    Leading high-throughput silicon-based DNA synthesis provider supplying synthetic genes, oligo pools and libraries to synthetic biologists.

    In Synthetic Biology & Genetic Engineering

    Very high relevance · Chemicals & gases · United States, South San Francisco · founded 2013

  15. 14

    FranceCurium

    One of the world's largest nuclear medicine companies, a top supplier of Mo-99/Tc-99m generators, I-131 and SPECT/PET radiopharmaceuticals, formed from Mallinckrodt Nuclear Medicine and IBA Molecular.

    In Nuclear Medicine & Radioisotope Technologies

    Very high relevance · Advanced materials · France, Paris · founded 2017

  16. 15

    United KingdomGSK

    One of the world's largest vaccine businesses (Shingrix, Arexvy, Bexsero, pandemic adjuvant AS03) and developer of novel antibiotics such as gepotidacin.

    In Advanced Therapeutics, Vaccines & Medical Countermeasures

    Very high relevance · Research & IP · United Kingdom, London · founded 2000 · 69k staff

  17. 16

    United KingdomOxford Nanopore Technologies

    Developer of nanopore long-read, real-time sequencers (MinION, GridION, PromethION) used from field surveillance to population genomics.

    In Genomics & Biological Data

    Very high relevance · Equipment & machinery · United Kingdom, Oxford · founded 2005

  18. 17

    South KoreaSamsung Biologics

    Operates the world's largest single-site biologics manufacturing capacity at Songdo (over 780,000 L across Plants 1-5).

    In Biomanufacturing

    Very high relevance · Contract manufacturing · South Korea, Incheon · founded 2011

  19. 18

    DenmarkNovonesis

    World's largest industrial enzyme and microbial solutions company (merger of Novozymes and Chr. Hansen), engineering production strains and enzymes at global scale.

    In Synthetic Biology & Genetic Engineering

    Very high relevance · Chemicals & gases · Denmark, Bagsværd · founded 2024

  20. 19

    FranceSanofi

    Sanofi Pasteur is a top global vaccine producer (influenza, pediatric, meningitis) and co-developer of the Beyfortus RSV antibody, with mRNA capability from its Translate Bio acquisition.

    In Advanced Therapeutics, Vaccines & Medical Countermeasures

    Very high relevance · Medicines & vaccines · France, Paris · founded 1973 · 83k staff

  21. 20

    SwitzerlandCRISPR Therapeutics

    Co-developer with Vertex of Casgevy, the first approved CRISPR-based gene-editing medicine (2023).

    In Synthetic Biology & Genetic Engineering

    Very high relevance · Research & IP · Switzerland, Zug · founded 2013

  22. 21

    GermanySartorius

    Sartorius Stedim Biotech is a leading maker of single-use bioreactors, filters, fluid management and cell culture media for biologics production.

    In Biomanufacturing

    Very high relevance · Equipment & machinery · Germany, Göttingen · founded 1870

  23. 22

    GermanyBioNTech

    Invented the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, is developing mRNA cancer immunotherapies, and agreed to acquire CureVac in 2025.

    In Advanced Therapeutics, Vaccines & Medical Countermeasures

    Very high relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Germany, Mainz · founded 2008 · 6,772 staff

  24. 23

    GermanyBayer

    Global leader in genetically engineered crop traits (ex-Monsanto) now pursuing gene-edited crops, and co-founder of the Joyn Bio microbial engineering venture with Ginkgo.

    In Synthetic Biology & Genetic Engineering

    Very high relevance · Medicines & vaccines · Germany, Leverkusen · founded 1863

  25. High2 companies
  26. 24

    United StatesLantheus Holdings

    Markets the leading PSMA PET agent Pylarify, TechneLite Tc-99m generators and cardiac imaging agents, and is building a radiotherapeutics pipeline.

    In Nuclear Medicine & Radioisotope Technologies

    High relevance · Advanced materials · United States, Bedford · founded 1956

  27. 25

    United StatesPacific Biosciences

    Maker of HiFi long-read SMRT sequencers (Revio, Vega) and the Onso short-read system, widely used for reference genomes and population programmes.

    In Genomics & Biological Data

    High relevance · Equipment & machinery · United States, Menlo Park · founded 2000

All 203 in the Companies table →