title: Trends in Biotechnological Drugs for Cancer Treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Biotechnology, which promoted revolutions in many fields, generates great expectations for the future, mainly in the pharmaceutical sector for the treatment of several diseases. Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and due to its complexity and singularity, there are a number of challenges that limit the development of new drugs for antitumor therapies, making the research for cancer treatment one of the most exploited in the medical field.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The main objective of this article is to identify trends of biotechnological advances that may have application in improving cancer therapies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information from patent applications of biotechnological drugs in the last five years was retrieved using Thomson Reuters Integrity database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cancer is the leading therapeutic condition found in patent documents. The subject matter most cited in patent applications includes monoclonal antibodies, adoptive cell therapy, RNA interference and new vaccine peptides.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The analysis of the documents has provided an overview of new biological alternatives for use in cancer treatment, showing potential avenues for years to come.
authors.forename: Natalia L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: von Ranke
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Industrial Property, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ifierro@inpi.gov.br.
authors.forename: Iolanda M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Fierro
authors.forename: Adelaide M S
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Antunes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D005544:Forecasting; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D010330:Patents as Topic; D034622:RNA Interference / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents