Tissue Clearing Market

Market Overview

The global tissue clearing market size was worth USD 944.5 million in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 2,576.1 million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period (2023–2031). With improved healthcare infrastructure, the demand for rapid and effective diagnosis of chronic diseases is increasing, and research activities are rising, thus facilitating tissue clearing market growth. The long-standing biotechnology and biopharmaceutical sectors in the United States have led to a significant need in the area for tissue-clearing technologies for research and diagnostic uses.

Tissue clearing makes living cells see-through so that they can be seen better with microscopy. Techniques have been made to eliminate the lipids in tissues, making it easier for light to get through and giving better image depth. Tissue clearing has many uses, such as in the brain, cancer, and regenerative medicine. Cleared tissues can be scanned in three dimensions to get information about the structures and relationships of cells that are hard to see with standard two-dimensional methods. Tissue clearing can be used to study nerve pathways in the brain, find out how cancer cells behave in tumor tissue, and develop new regenerative medicine treatments. The tissue clearing market will likely grow as new methods for clearing tissue and software and hardware for processing and analyzing data are developed.

Market Dynamics

Tissue Clearing Market Drivers

Rise in Healthcare Spending

The rise in healthcare spending is also considered one of the important factors driving the tissue clearing market. With rising healthcare spending, the healthcare infrastructure has also developed significantly worldwide. This leads to increased research and diagnostic laboratories and hospitals in developed and emerging market regions. Hence, with improved healthcare infrastructure, the demand for rapid and effective diagnosis of chronic diseases is increasing, and research activities are rising, thus facilitating tissue clearing market growth.

Growing Trend of 3D Histology

The growing interest in studying large and complex tissues, such as the brain in 3-D, has triggered scientists to widen the scope for 3D histology. Histological evaluation in 3D facilitates understanding tissue morphology and pathological changes at the molecular level. 3D imaging has certain limitations; since tissues are opaque, it doesn't allow light to pass, which is necessary for microscopy. To eliminate such errors, optical tissue clearing has been developed in 3D histology, wherein tissue samples are immersed into optical clearing agents or solutions to minimize scattering and allow transparency of tissues. 3D histology has enhanced the field of volumetric imaging, gradually replacing the thin-section analysis of tissues. Thus, this factor will support the further growth of the tissue clearing market.

Tissue Clearing Market Restraint

Stringent Guidelines About Medical Research with Animals

Animal research has been pivotal in various scientific analyses to understand complex diseases and organs. Using animals has been a debatable topic, wherein anti-vivisectionist and animal rights extremist groups believe animal experimentation is harsh, irrespective of its benefits. Stringent guidelines issued by animal welfare organizations concerning biomedical research with animals may hamper market growth.

Tissue Clearing Market Opportunities

Growing R&D Initiatives in the Realm of Neuroscience and Cancer

Neuroscience enables the study of the structure and function of the nervous system at both molecular and behavioral levels. Neuroscience research is growing rapidly with the innovation of new techniques, and each year, scientists publish new articles. Various ongoing brain mapping types of research are significantly supporting the growth of neuroscience R&D. The presence of various institutes and organizations, such as NIH, Max Planck Florida Institute, the University of Utah, Neuroscience Canada, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Ontario Brain Institute, in the market space is anticipated to accelerate the development of neuroscience-based research. Thereby driving the market.

Regional Analysis

North America Dominates the Global Market

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

North America is the most significant global teeth-whitening market shareholder and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 11.1% over the forecast period. This large share is attributed to the well-established biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry in the U.S., which has created a high demand for tissue-clearing solutions for research and diagnostic purposes in the region. Extensive R&D initiatives and increasing public-private investments in neuroscience and cancer have also fueled the need for tissue-clearing solutions in the country, thus leading to high market growth. In addition, continuous advancements in tissue clearing and imaging and the high affordability and adoption of innovative and advanced tissue clearing systems and solutions in the U.S. further make it the most lucrative market in the world.

Moreover, expanding the biotechnology sector in Canada leads to increased R&D activities, which is expected to boost the North American tissue clearing market during the forecast period. However, the low affordability of advanced and costly tissue-clearing products by small- and medium-sized Canadian companies is anticipated to be a major challenge in the market. Moreover, the strong presence of major players and their continuous strategic initiatives are anticipated to create lucrative growth opportunities in the region.

The growth of the European tissue-clearing market can primarily be due to the rising demand for tissue-clearing products in countries with well-established biotechnology industries, such as Germany, the UK, and Italy. In addition, expanding the biotechnology sector in countries such as Spain and Russia is expected to create growth opportunities in the European tissue clearing market. In addition, continuous research initiatives being undertaken by researchers in the country for the development of new and innovative tissue-clearing solutions are anticipated to propel market growth.

Furthermore, increasing investments by various public and private organizations in tissue research, cancer research, and neuroscience in European countries are anticipated to boost the demand for more advanced and innovative tissue-clearing products in the region. Moreover, the presence of many global and local players and their increasing growth strategies are expected to lead to market growth.

Asia-Pacific is expected to exhibit an exponential CAGR during the forecast period. This high growth can be attributed to the extensive growth in the biopharmaceutical industry of emerging economies such as China and India. Furthermore, continuous government support for establishing the biotechnology industry in emerging countries is one of the factors contributing to market growth. Furthermore, continuous R&D activities in tissue research, neuroscience, and cancer are anticipated to drive the demand for tissue-clearing products in the region. In addition, extensive research activities for improving or developing innovative tissue clearing or imaging techniques will likely fuel market growth during the forecast period.

The Latin American tissue clearing market will likely grow at a lucrative rate during the forecast period due to growing biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries in key countries, including Brazil and Mexico. Brazil dominates the tissue clearing market in Latin America in terms of market size. There are ample opportunities for R&D and production of biopharmaceutical products in Brazil, which is anticipated to create a huge demand for tissue-clearing systems and solutions for research.

However, low investments in biotechnology in countries such as Argentina are anticipated to restrict the overall market demand during the forecast period.

The Middle East and Africa tissue clearing market will likely depict steady growth during the forecast period owing to factors such as limited investments in the biotechnology sector, low affordability of systems, and fewer R&D activities in the biotechnology sector. However, supportive government initiatives being undertaken to boost the biotechnology sector in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are anticipated to create lucrative opportunities in the market during the forecast period. Furthermore, an increasing focus on neurological diseases and cancer due to their high prevalence is further anticipated to drive the demand for tissue-clearing products for research.

Segmental Analysis

The global tissue clearing market is bifurcated into methods, products, tissue types, applications, and end-use.

Based on methods, the global tissue clearing market is segmented into solvent-based clearing methods and aqueous-based clearing methods.

The solvent-based clearing methods segment dominates the global market and will likely exhibit a CAGR of 12.1% over the forecast period. Owing to various advantages offered by techniques such as 3DISCO, uDISCO, iDISCO, and iDISCO+ over other clearing methods,. Conventional solvent-based techniques use dehydration with lipid solvation and further lipid solvation and clearing using a refractive index that matches the remaining dehydrated tissue's index. The majority of solvent-based approaches facilitate high tissue transparency with the use of clearing mediums consisting of higher refractive indexes. Some advantages of solvent-based methods include high quality and speed, which are typically useful for immunostaining entire tissue sections that usually take longer. Other advantages include their ability to work on several tissue types typically. However, toxic solvents can limit their ability to dissolve glues used in developing objective lenses, causing considerable contraction of tissues during dehydration, further quenching fluorescent protein emission, and reducing their utility.

Based on product, the global tissue clearing market is segmented into kits and reagents, instruments, and associated services.

The kits and reagents segment owns the global market and will likely exhibit a CAGR of 12.3% over the forecast period. Consumers' increased strategic initiatives undertaken by various market players are major factors anticipated to propel the segment growth shortly. The product enables efficient imaging in 3D cell culture without damaging cellular morphology. It is manufactured and sold by Visikol and is commercially available under Corning's 3D cell culture portfolio. Thus, the rapid launch of reagents for tissue clearing is expected to boost their adoption shortly for biomedical and neuroscience applications.

Miltenyi Biotec offers a MACS Clearing Kit, which enables clearing and immunostaining various tissues for 3D imaging analysis. The kit offers effective, fast, and easy immunostaining and clearing of various tissues, such as cerebral organoids, mouse brain hemispheres, and human tumors. After the clearing procedure, tissues can be analyzed using various microscopy systems, including confocal, two-photon, or light sheet fluorescence microscopy. Thus, the easy availability of reagents and kits for tissue clearing and their repetitive purchases will likely positively influence market growth during the forecast period.

The global tissue clearing market is segmented into hard and soft tissue based on tissue type.

The soft tissue segment dominates the global market and will likely exhibit a CAGR of 12% during the forecast period. A research study published in 2019 stated that the FDISCO tissue-clearing method showcased effective clearing of specimens, which included soft tissues such as muscles; internal organs like kidneys, lungs, liver, and stomach; hard tissues like calcified bones; and mouse embryos. Similarly, in another study, researchers applied a modified Benzoic Acid Benzyl Benzoate (BABB) tissue-clearing method to study soft tissue and skin biology; it was observed that the tissue-clearing method could help preserve the expression of the endogenous fluorophores, thus allowing a detailed visualization of dermal and epidermal biology after injury and at homeostasis.

Thus, the growing number of research activities conducted by various academic and research institutes to enhance the applications of soft tissue clearing in biomedicine and neuroscience is one of the major factors expected to propel the segment shortly.

Based on application, the global tissue clearing market is divided into neuroscience, oncology, and biopsies.

The neuroscience segment is the most significant contributor to the market and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 12.1% over the forecast period. The analysis of tissues was traditionally dependent on sectioning methods. However, the development of tissue clearing has expanded the scope of studying tissues in 3D. This particular advantage significantly supports the field of neuroscience. In the past few years, there has been an increase in people trying to figure out how brain pathways work. Tissue clearing is now a broadly used technique, notably for neuroscience imaging.

The combination of tissue clearing and light-sheet microscopy has allowed researchers to image whole mouse brains and spinal cords and to thoroughly understand the extent of central nervous system degeneration in some animal models of neurological diseases. The increasing prevalence of neurological disorders around the globe has boosted the demand for potential therapies for their management and treatment. This may propel the demand for tissue-clearing products in neuroscience research efforts. Furthermore, the consistent undertaking of public-private initiatives and investments in neuroscience research is anticipated to create a conducive environment for the growth of the neuroscience segment.

The global tissue clearing market is divided into hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and research institutes based on end-users.

The research institutes segment is the most significant market contributor and will likely exhibit a CAGR of 12.1% during the forecast period. This can be due to the increasing R&D initiatives research institutions undertake to develop novel therapies in neuroscience and oncology. Furthermore, increasing public-private initiatives and investments in establishing new research institutes are anticipated to be one of the major driving factors of the segment.

Recent Developments

• May 2023: PerkinElmer said that its New ClearSlide tissue clearing system would be coming out soon. The ClearSlide system is a high-throughput method for clearing tissue that can be used in clinical and research situations.
• February 2023: Nikon said its new ClearView tissue cleaning system will be out soon. The ClearView method is a cheap way to clean up tissue, and it can be used with many different lenses.