Biotechnology Reagents and Kits Market

Market Overview

The global biotechnology reagents and kits market size was valued at USD 456.19 billion in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 1,775.67 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 16.3% during the forecast period (2023–2031).

Reagents are frequently employed in lab or field settings to find a variety of chemicals. For instance, reagents are frequently used to check for illegal drugs in daily life. Reagent kits are testing instruments that detect specific substances in the field or the lab. They are frequently employed to check for the usage of illegal substances. Reagent test kits are frequently easy to use and feature color changes to indicate the presence of particular drugs.

Certain testing kits require more work and must be processed using the lab's thin chromatography methods. Biotechnology reagents and kits are crucial for conducting research, assessing biological samples, and creating biopharmaceuticals. Products utilized in biotechnology and life science research include antibodies, enzymes, proteins, nucleic acids, cell culture media, and other substances and materials.

Highlights

• Detection kits dominate the kit type segment
• Cell culture dominates the technology segment
• Healthcare dominates the end-user segment
• North America is the highest shareholder in the global market

Market Dynamics

Global Market Drivers

Increasing R&D Expenditure by Biotechnology Companies

Increasing research and development expenditure for life sciences and biotechnology research will drive the market significantly over the forecast period. According to an article issued in May 2020, major global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies spent around 20% of their revenues on research and development as of 2019. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are among the 20 largest R&D spending entities globally. Furthermore, in 2018, around 750 billion dollars were spent by the companies for the Global Innovation 1000. This number shows an increase in R&D spending by 10% as compared to the spending in 2017. In 2018, the year-on-year growth was approximately fourfold high as that between 2016 and 2017.

Technological Advancements in the Biotechnology Field

Technological advancements in biotechnology instruments majorly drive the growth of the market. With advancements in biotechnology instruments utilized in various biotechnology and life sciences fields, key players focus on developing new, innovative products to cater to customer needs. For instance, in March 2021, Oxford Nanopore Technologies introduced the Ultra-Long DNA Sequencing Kit, enabling efficient sequencing of read lengths up to 4.2 Mb. Advancements in molecular diagnostic techniques, such as droplet digital PCR, NGS, and genome-wide sequencing for accuracy, reproducibility, and timeline, have influenced the adoption of biotechnology reagents and kits in the market.

Global Market Restraint

High Cost of Advanced Molecular Testing Equipment

The high cost of advanced molecular testing equipment is the major hindrance to the market growth. The cost for some of the products used to analyze biological samples or analytes is very high. Moreover, third-generation genome sequencing methods are costly compared to the first- and second-generation sequencing techniques. For instance, the cost of characterizing the whole human genome using PacBio systems ranges from USD 3,000 to USD 6,000. The high cost of long-read sequencing is expected to impact the adoption of third-generation genome sequencing methods.

Global Market Opportunities

Growing Demand for Synthetic Biology

Supportive government policies associated with synthetic biology are key driving factors in the market. Developed economies, such as the U.K. and the U.S., are actively providing funds for R&D initiatives in synthetic biology. For example, in March 2021, a roundtable meeting was arranged by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This initiative aims to explore synthetic biology and its associated science, policy, and industry capabilities. In addition, synthetic biology is a comparatively new and unexplored technology. Industry participants in this field strive to continuously develop proprietary and new technologies to increase market presence.

Additionally, nonprofit organizations, such as BioBricks, ensure the availability of synthetic biology technologies for humanitarian purposes. Synthetic biology forums such as OpenWetWare act as an information-sharing platform and help deliver conceptual training to researchers. The establishment of organizations and forums helps encourage researchers to opt for and study synthetic biology concepts and develop innovative technologies, which also creates opportunities for the growth of this market.

Regional Analysis

North America Dominates the Global Market

Based on region, the global biotechnology reagents and kits market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

North America is the most significant global biotechnology reagents and kits market shareholder and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 16.21% over the forecast period. North America dominated the revenue share due to major biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies offering reagents and kits for molecular biology, environmental biology, industrial biology, and other biotechnology fields. Moreover, several regional drug developers are involved in strategic initiatives aiding market growth. For instance, in December 2020, Lifespan Biosciences (LSBio) acquired Absolute Antibody and its sister company Kerafast. This acquisition was expected to enable Absolute Antibody to continue its growth while delivering better-quality recombinant antibody reagents and services. It allows LSBio to offer more to their customers by adding recombinant antibody manufacturing and engineering capacity and their highly parallel product portfolios. An increasing number of diagnostics labs and biomarker-specific detection kits for the detection of gene expression is also driving market growth.

Europe is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 15.6% over the forecast period. The European market upholds a substantial share of the market. Wide applications of reagents and kits drive regional market growth. Reagent plays an important role in the diagnosis of diseases and helps in drug discovery and several biotech research programs. Hence, it is used in many pharmaceuticals as well as biotechnology companies. In addition, several key players in the market provide products under reagents and kits. Various companies are taking strategic initiatives to fulfill the growing market demand. For instance, in August 2020, Eurofins technologies launched reagents for the automated isolation of high-quality COVID-19 RNA from viral particles in a patient's respiratory samples. The reagent magnetic bead-based, automated method retrieves and isolates virus particles and their corresponding RNA on various sensitive stands for subsequent RT-PCR analysis. Moreover, strong government support and high investment in the biotechnology sector are other factors that drive market growth.

Asia-Pacific is a lucrative market for biotechnology reagents and kits, with growing disposable income, improving diagnostics and therapeutic infrastructure, and increasing research activities to develop effective therapeutics. The region is home to about 60% of the global population, representing a wealth of untapped potential. In addition, disease incidence and prevalence are growing due to lifestyle changes. Improving healthcare infrastructure, entering large biotechnological organizations, and increasing R&D activities are also expected to grow the market.

The Latin American market is set to grow steadily over the years. This can be attributed to a favorable business environment that aids in establishing new biotech companies and startups in this region. In addition, market expansion by players from developed economies to Latin American countries is expected to increase competition soon. The key challenge for Latin America in biotech development is the risk of investing in a product that has not been tested in the market. Several drugs and devices must be subjected to tests and clinical trials before being launched in the market, so biotech startups cannot grow without capital. This region has lagged in biotech development due to relatively low government investment in R&D when compared to other countries like Canada and the U. S.

In the Middle East and Africa, high growth biotechnology and pharmaceutical market is expected, owing to the liberalization of economics and governments' focus on becoming self-reliant in biotech and pharmaceutical production. All these factors are driving high investments in public and private health sectors. The multinational corporation's decision to invest in this region demonstrates the growing demand for biotech products due to the Middle East's evolving disease landscape. Furthermore, multinational companies, such as Genzyme and Amgen, and many major companies, including Novartis, Roche, GSK, and Pfizer, market biotech products in this region. Novo Nordisk, specializing in diabetes, focuses on the region owing to the rising incidence and prevalence of diseases. Micro-size biotech companies have targeted the Middle East for regional growth.

Segmental Analysis

The global biotechnology reagents and kits market is segmented by kit type, technology, tested parameters, microorganisms, purpose, and end-user.

Based on kit type, the global market is divided into purification kits, amplification kits, detection kits, isolation kits, and other kits. 

The detection kits segment is the most significant contributor to the market and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 17.1% over the forecast period. The detection kits type segment is anticipated to witness the quickest growth in the coming years. This can be attributed to the surging frequency of infectious diseases and genetic disorders. Moreover, technological advancement is another factor propelling the segment's growth. The detection kit segment is witnessing substantial growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the rising incidence of COVID-19 cases, accurate and quick detection of the disease is important for the prevention and successful management of COVID-19 cases and for controlling its spread. Rapid progress in better diagnosis of COVID-19 has resulted in the rising number of detection test kits in development or available for people.

Based on technology, the global market is bifurcated into LAMP technology, PCR, cell culture, sequencing, chromatography, electrophoresis, flow cytometry, and other technologies. 

The cell culture segment is the highest contributor to the market and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 17.3% over the forecast period. The wide portfolio of companies' cell culture media and reagents results from increased demand for cell culture reagents among research professionals across various industries, such as healthcare, life sciences, agriculture, food and beverages, and environmental science. In addition, reagents are developed to help enhance cell growth in cell biology experiments. They can also help achieve successful consistency and growth. Media often require reagents specific to a particular cell type and application. Therefore, established entities are working to develop a comprehensive portfolio of reagents that can cater to customers' requirements, for specialized cell culture, along with addressing complicated requirements for nutrition.

Based on tested parameters, the global market is divided into DNA, RNA, enzymes, proteins, and others. 

The RNA segment dominates the global market and is predicted to exhibit a CAGR of 14.6% over the forecast period. Increasing research on transcriptomics is expected to drive the growth of this segment. RNA transcriptome profiling test is an important tool to understand expression patterns at a cellular level for recognizing the genes having comparable expression patterns. Significant work has gone into understanding the genetic regulation of similar cell types over the few years. Companies worldwide are working to develop invasive RNA tests for the early apprehension of heart disease, cancer, neurodegeneration, and other diseases.

Based on microorganisms, the global market is segmented into bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. 

The virus segment is the largest revenue contributor to the market and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 14.8% over the forecast period. Virus reagents play an important role in gene therapy and vaccinology. Viruses are used as vectors for cell and gene therapy development as they can efficiently carry the new gene to the cell. Viral vectors are commonly applied in gene therapy to cure diseases such as metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and metabolic diseases. Moreover, increasing R&D to support the use of recombinant viral vectors in vaccine development further drives the segment.

Based on purpose, the global market is segmented into on-site and laboratory. 

The on-site segment owns the highest market share and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 16.2% during the forecast period. Increasing demand for point-of-care (POC) testing boosts the demand for the on-site reagent segment. It gives great value to clinicians and physicians by supporting them to accelerate diagnosis and treatment. In addition, glucose testing is the commonly used POCT in the field of clinical chemistry. The applications for on-site testing in the food and beverage industry contributed to the market expansion.

Based on end-user, the global market is bifurcated into healthcare, food and agriculture, natural resources and environment, industrial processing, and others. 

The healthcare segment dominates the global market and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 14.6% over the forecast period. An increase in research and development activities and ongoing clinical trials in the healthcare sector drive the biotechnology reagents and kits market. Moreover, the shift in preference toward molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine has increased mergers and collaborations for developing novel technology, which subsequently drives the demand for various products. The rising applications of PCR technology are expected to positively impact the segment's revenue generation.

Recent Developments

• May 2023- NeoDx Biotech Labs, a startup founded at Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre, introduced seven Real-time PCR-based assays for infectious diseases, like HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C, to reduce the testing burden on diagnostic centers and hospitals.
• March 2023- Technology Development Board, a statutory body under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, signed a contract with Telangana-based startup Huwel Lifesciences to validate and commercialize Rapid Real-time PCR reagents for storage and transport at room temperature. The board has approved a 15-crore rupee contribution out of the 40 crore rupees required for the undertaking.