Cell Separation Technologies Market

Market Overview

The global cell separation technologies market size was worth USD 13,670 million in 2021. It is projected to reach USD 50,395 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 15.6% during the forecast period (2022–2030). 

Through intracellular or extracellular characteristics, cells are separated from a heterogeneous cell mixture using cell separation technology. Since cell separation is crucial to cellular therapy and illness diagnostics, it has acquired significance in the domains of medicine and biology. The prevalence of chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and many others is also increasing, leading to cell separation technology's use for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

The bulk of these diseases can be treated using cell-based therapies. Therefore, the recent growth in cell separation is associated with a rise in the mortality rate from chronic diseases. The increase in patients with chronic diseases and technological improvements in cell technologies are the two main factors driving the growth of the global market for cell separation technologies. Additionally, there is a growing emphasis on tailored medications for disease early diagnosis, treatment selection, and therapy prognosis assessment. 

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Increasing Number of Patients Suffering from Chronic Diseases

The high prevalence of chronic diseases and infectious diseases is increasing globally. Chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, and obesity are growing due to sedentary lifestyles, an aging population, increased alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, the mortality rate from chronic diseases reached 73%. In developing regions, 70% of deaths are caused by chronic diseases. In addition, chronic diseases are expected to affect China, India, and Africa significantly. Furthermore, the global burden of cancer is expected to continue to grow by 45% between 2008 and 2030. Consequently, rising investment in cell-based research for cancer by biopharmaceutical companies and research laboratories is a prime factor attributing to the growth of this market. 

Technological Advancements

The procedure of cell separation involves extracting cells from biological substances like tissue or whole blood. A potent tool that supports biological research is cell separation. The technological advancement in cell separation instruments provides efficiency in research, diagnostics, and therapeutics application. For instance, in April 2020, Alfa Laval launched the first premium separator system for single-use pharmaceutical processing. It was used in processes for harvesting fragile cell cultures, which can later be used for injectable drugs to treat life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and organ transplant rejection.

Also, in April 2018, Becton, Dickinson, and Company launched BD FACSymphony(TM) S6 cell sorter; the new platform uses the BD FACSymphony cell analyzer's high parameter capabilities enabling researchers to sort cell populations to better comprehend cell phenotypes for immunology and multi-omics research. This, in turn, is anticipated to lead to higher adoption of cell separation technologies during the forecast period.

Market Restraint

High Cost of Cell-Based Research

Cell biology is doing significant research to create novel treatments, including gene and stem cell therapy. Due to the necessity to uphold high standards and adhere to regulations by regulatory agencies, research in cell biology is expensive. High-quality tools, reagents, and other goods linked with this study are necessary to produce accurate results. Furthermore, the success rate of cell-based research is minimal, and most cell therapy trials have a low success rate. Due to higher budget constraints, various institutes and small-scale biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies find it difficult to afford expensive products related to cell separation. This is especially obvious in developing countries, where underdeveloped infrastructure facilities and low healthcare expenditure restrict the use of advanced equipment.

Market Opportunities

Emerging Markets Create New Opportunities

Cell separation technology has a lot of room to grow in emerging markets like Asia-Pacific and LAMEA. This is attributed to the rising investments in cell-based research and the expanding market share of players in emerging areas. For instance, Indian-based pharmaceutical businesses invest a lot in R&D to bring novel medications to market. Due to such expenditures, the country's demand for products utilizing cell separation technology is anticipated to rise in the upcoming years. The government is expected to embrace more cutting-edge tools and technologies to boost productivity due to the rising R&D activity in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Regional Analysis

Region-wise, the global cell separation technologies market share is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.

North America Commands Maximum Market Share

North America is the highest revenue contributor and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 14.1% during the forecast period. Due to its highly developed healthcare sector, significant R&D expenditures, rising product approval rates, and numerous cell separation technology manufacturers in the region, North America is anticipated to hold a dominant share of the global cell separation technology market during the forecast period. For instance, in July 2020, a US-based company, Corning Incorporated, launched the Corning X-SERIES cell processing platform.

Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region. Asian governments are investing in creating healthcare infrastructure for ongoing stem cell and cancer research to create cutting-edge treatments for patients and medical personnel. Government programs to support the biotechnology sector are creating chances for rivals. New players are benefitting by expanding their portfolios with advanced breakthrough technologies. Concentrating investments in technologies ideal for stem cell and cancer research could further boost the market. Additionally, the rise in healthcare awareness about cell separation and growth in per capita healthcare expenditure in developing countries also provide opportunities for growth in the cell separation technology market.

Europe is the second-largest region and is projected to reach USD 14,650 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 15%. Germany, France, the UK, and other European counties are expected to grow at a significant pace during the forecast period, owing to increased healthcare expenditure, product advancement, and modernization of healthcare facilities. For instance, in April 2020, Europe-based company Alfa Laval launched the first premium separator system for single-use pharmaceutical processing. It was used in processes for harvesting fragile cell cultures, which can later be used for injectable drugs to treat life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and organ transplant rejection.

Segmental Analysis

The global cell separation technologies market share is segmented into product, technology, application, end-user, and region.

On the Basis of Product

By product, the global cell separation technologies market is bifurcated into Instruments and Consumables. 

The Consumables segment is the highest contributor to the market and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 15% during the forecast period. Consumable includes reagent kits, which react with target substances in a sample and are used in cell separation technology, including single-cell suspensions, a blood reagent, and others. These reagents are vital to every cell separation process and demand repetitive purchase, boosting the market growth. Additionally, the key companies' growing investments in creating technologically advanced consumable items and consumers' frequent consumption of consumables are this segment's primary drivers. Other factors such as the presence of significant players like Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Merck KGaA, Stemcell Technologies Inc., etc., and the availability of their broad range of products further drive the market growth.

The Instruments segment is the fastest growing. The global cell separation technologies market is expected to witness promising growth, owing to the increasing government funding for cell-based research and technological advancements worldwide. However, ethical issues related to embryonic stem cell isolation and the high cost of cell-based research hamper the global cell separation technology market growth. Factors such as emerging technologies, developing markets, and government initiatives also create opportunities for the market. Furthermore, researchers demand advanced instruments and market competition, which drives critical improvements in cell separation instrumentation. Accordingly, technological advancements in cell separation instruments and the introduction of novel automated systems augment the growth of the cell separation technologies market.

On the Basis of Technology

By technology, the global cell separation technologies market is divided into Surface Markers Separation, Gradient Centrifugation, and Filtration-Based Separation.

The Surface Markers Separation segment is the highest contributor to the market and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 16.3% during the forecast period. It is further classified into Fluorescence Activated and Magnetic Cell Sorting. Technological advancements and increased demand for fluorescence-activated and magnetic cell sorting drive this technology. For instance, in April 2018, BD launched BD FACSymphony(TM) S6 high parameter cell sorter to enable the sorting of rare cell types. This new cell sorter extends BD's strong flow cytometry research solutions portfolio.

The Gradient Centrifugation segment is the fastest growing. It is used to separate particles based on size and density using a medium of graded densities. It is a most frequently used density-based separation method, in which the biological sample is centrifuged in a suitable gradient medium at the appropriate speed till the different cell types are fractionated into different layers or phases depending on their respective densities. Furthermore, gradient centrifugation is frequently used as an initial step to enrich specific cell populations before more sophisticated isolation procedures like Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), Magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS), or single-cell sorting as well as organelle and nucleic acid extraction.

On the Basis of Applications

By application, the global cell separation technologies market is classified into Oncology Research, Neuroscience Research, Stem Cell Research, Microbiology, Immunology Research, and Other Application.

The Oncology Research segment is the highest contributor to the market and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 14.8% during the forecast period. The growing investment in cell-based research by companies and research laboratories is a prime factor contributing to the growth of this segment.

The Stem Cell Research segment is the fastest growing. Stem cells have the exceptional capacity to replenish themselves and specialize in various cell types. They also provide several benefits for treating illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and many others. Cell separation is a potent, incredibly accurate, and sensitive process frequently used to isolate a pure stem cell population from a heterogeneous solution of cells. The development of stem cell separation methods was prompted by the need for a large-scale supply of high purity and viability stem cells for stem cell therapy and translational stem cell research.

On the Basis of End-User

By end-user, the global cell separation technologies market is segmented into Academic Institutes, Biotechnology & Biopharmaceutical Companies, and Cell Banks.

The Biotechnology & Biopharmaceutical companies segment is the highest contributor to the market and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 16.1% during the forecast period. The large share of this end-user segment can be attributed to the extensive adoption of advanced instruments in cell-based experiments and cancer research in biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies. Moreover, increase in the number of R&D facilities globally for new product development. These companies focus on the R&D of protein therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies, stem cell research, cryobanking, and cell-based assays.

Cell Bank is the second-largest segment. A cell bank is a place where cells with a specific genome are kept to be used in products or for medical purposes in the future. They frequently have substantial base cell material that can be used for various tasks. Cryopreservation is the conventional way of maintaining biological material intact and is commonly employed in industries such as stem cell research and pharmaceuticals, where cell banks are also used.

Recent Developments

• March 2022 - An infrastructure network was established at seven university hospitals in NRW to implement novel cell therapies against COVID-19 and future viral pandemics. The University Hospital of Cologne is researching cell therapy against COVID-19. The Ministry for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia is funding the innovation projects with 7.75 million euros. 
• June 2022 - BD (Becton, Dickinson, and Company), a leading global medical technology company, announced that the BD MAX™ Respiratory Viral Panel (RVP), a new molecular diagnostic combination test for SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A + B, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), has been CE marked to the IVD directive 98/79/EC.