Each week, Medical Device Network’s journalists analyse data on patent filings and grants that illustrate innovation trends in our sector. These patent signals show where the leading companies are focusing their research and development investment, and why. We uncover key innovation areas in the sector and the themes that drive them. 

This new, thematic patents coverage is powered by our underlying Disruptor data which tracks all major deals, patents, company filings, hiring patterns and social media buzz across our sectors. 

This week, we look at geographic trends when it comes to patent filings in the medical device sector. According to the patents data, China is the clear leader for the number of patent filings, followed by the US, Japan and South Korea.

China and the US are on a competitive edge in the innovation activity of the startups and the rise of China's universities are causing the country to dominate patent filings.