Transfection Reagents and Equipment Market

Market Overview

The global transfection reagents and equipment market size was valued at USD 1,155.76 million in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 2,420.97 million by 2031 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% during the forecast period (2023-31). Factors such as ongoing R&D in cancer management and adoption of favorable government initiatives and external funding for R&D exercises, significantly drives the transfection reagents and equipment market demand by 2031

Transfection involves nucleic acid introduction in eukaryotic cells by viral and non-viral methods. The transfection method can overcome the challenge of transferring the negatively charged membrane. Chemicals such as calcium phosphate and diethyl aminoethyl (DEAE) ‐dextran or cationic lipid-based Reagent react with the outer DNA coat. It neutralizes the overall negative charge, imparts the positive amount to the molecule, and hence allows DNA delivery.

Physical methods such as electroporation create minute pores in the cell membrane by applying electric voltage, allowing entry of DNA directly into the cytoplasm. DEAE-dextran is used for transient transfection; however, lipofection can achieve stable transfection and can be used for long-term protein expression. Calcium phosphate-mediated transfection can also be used for stable transfection. The viral transfection method achieves high efficiency and is used for several phases of pharmaceutical product development.

Market Dynamics

Transfection Reagents and Equipment Market Drivers

Ongoing R&D in Cancer Management

A growing number of cancer research projects for cancer management is expected to boost the need for transfection reagents and equipment, influencing market growth over the forecast period. R&D for cancer management involves transfection methods to develop stem cell and gene-based therapy. For example, Nucleofector technology provided by Lonza and FuGENE HD Transfection by Promega Corporation enables successful transfection of cancer cell lines with high efficiency. Similarly, introducing a novel technique, known as nano-electro-injection, designed by researchers at the National University of Singapore in October 2019, helps in the efficient delivery of DNA compared with other techniques.

On the other hand, the advent of the CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technique has potentially revolutionized cancer therapy, majorly in immunotherapy. This technology has been introduced in clinical applications, with only a few patients receiving the treatment. Conversely, this technique is successfully used in cell lines and laboratory animals with key genetic characteristics that assist scientists in understanding cancer cases better. Other transfection applications in cancer research are genetic manipulation for cancer study, human cancer invasion, migration and metastasis, tumor progression, and oncogenic regulation.

Adoption of Favorable Government Initiatives and External Funding for R&D Exercises

The existence of federal agencies that are engaged in providing funds and grants to support biotechnological research projects using transfection techniques accelerates transfection reagents and equipment market growth. One such agency, the National Science Foundation (NSF), is an independent agency that funds several biotechnological projects that work on the principles of science and engineering. In the fiscal year 2020, a budget of USD 5,663 million was allocated to research and associated activities. In addition, the total amount of USD 7.1 billion allocated by NSF in 2020 is expected to support more than 7,000 research grants. NSF funds are provided in approximately 50 states as grants to 2,000 universities, colleges, and other institutions.

Additionally, the NSF receives over 48,000 competitive proposals for funding and generates nearly 12,000 new funding awards each year. The NSF also annually awards about USD 626 million in service and professional contracts. The projects by university-based laboratories and institutes, such as the Cancer Society of New Zealand, for transfection optimization using chemical transfection agents are anticipated to propel the market growth with the support of funding agencies.

Transfection Reagents and Equipment Market Restraint

Stringent Regulatory Guidelines

Restricted growth in this market over the forecast period can be attributed to standards that define quality assurance measures for transfection technology and its utilization. It is crucial to certify that the nature of work complies with the relevant animal experimentation and medical-ethical legislation and guidelines before starting a project that involves animal or human tissue. Moreover, it is necessary to seek approval from the relevant regulatory authorities and agencies. Some of the regulatory bodies imposing essential guidelines for animal usage and research studies include the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore, safety regulation imposed by regulatory agencies for biopharmaceuticals and drug delivery protocols is expected to limit the use of transfection methods.

Transfection Reagents and Equipment Market Opportunities

Development of Nanotechnology and Drug Delivery Systems

Nanotechnology in healthcare holds the potential to develop innovative nano-engineering techniques for the regeneration and repair of organs and tissues. Many research studies have been carried out in tissue engineering to create, repair, and replace tissues and cells using biomaterials and bioactive molecules. Tissue engineering enables combining cells with engineered biomolecules to develop materials that resemble the native tissue of the body. In addition, Tissue Nanotransfection Technology (TNT) is a relatively newer technology used in regenerative medicine research to repair and regress damaged tissues or organs. This technology is less time-consuming and offers over 98% efficiency. TNT has several advantages as compared with traditional in vivo transfection technologies.

Furthermore, scientists in biotechnology and biomedical engineering have introduced a novel method of drug delivery using nanosecond lasers and carbon nanotubes, which can also serve as a less expensive alternative to traditional lasers. Moreover, drug delivery using nanoparticles made of iron, silicon, and silver is expected to boost the growth in the transfection industry with potential avenues. Applying transfection technique using nano-fountain probe electroporation for drug delivery, allowing precise and timely drug dosing to the targeted site, is also in the pipeline and is expected to boost market growth. Drug delivery using RNAi technology is expected to witness higher adoption rates, driving the market in the coming years.

Regional Analysis

North America Dominates the Global Market

Region-wise, the global transfection reagents and equipment market share is segmented as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

North America is the most significant global transfection reagents and equipment market shareholder and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 8.31% over the forecast period. The rapid development of compatible and efficient transfection technologies by manufacturers in North America has significantly contributed to regional revenue in the global market. The large-scale adoption of gene therapies across North America has supplemented the market penetration of transfection reagents and equipment. In addition, North America is the biggest geogrworld's apical market for transfection reagents and equipment in the US and Canada. These market participants continue to focus on innovating transfection applications, instrumentation, diversity of different cell lines, and their cellular interactions to develop different reagents and accessories for professionals in the drug development industry. This also aims to produce specific and potent drugs and advance bioscience research.

According to Pharmaceutical Outsourcing's market analysis, the rapid advancement of gene and cell therapies through clinical development is anticipated to support the expansion of late-stage clinical and commercial manufacturing in this region. Moreover, transient transfection adopted for the production of vectors provides significant flexibility for gene and cell therapy development. This has caught the attention of Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) in the region, further contributing to its expected dominance throughout the forecast period.

Europe is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 8.1% over the forecast period. Factors supplementing its revenue generation include associations such as the European Medicines Agency, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, and the European Commission. Lucrative growth opportunities in emerging economies of Eastern Europe, such as Poland and Russia, are expected to serve this market with potential growth opportunities. An increasing number of projects about cell biology research across European countries has encouraged regional players to invest in developing innovative technologies and advancements in cell culture applications. In addition, researchers operating in the molecular biology industry are working toward developing cost-effective transfection solutions that can be employed across diverse cell lines. Increasing preference for automated equipment and multiplexing for consistent output is also a key trend observed among players operating in the European market.

Asia-Pacific is predicted to grow significantly over the forecast period. This is attributed to improvements in healthcare infrastructure and the increase in research initiatives at academic and organizational levels in this region. Asia-Pacific holds a large pool of patients with infectious diseases, driving demand for gene expression studies, transgenic modeling, and drug development, driving the market. In addition, collaborative initiatives undertaken by several leading market players to expand their geographical reach are anticipated to increase market revenue significantly. Larger investments in healthcare research and economic enhancements are further expected to strengthen market potential by 2028. The presence of favorable government initiatives promoting entrepreneurship and innovation is also expected to open up new capitalization avenues in the market for transfection reagents and equipment.

Segmental Analysis

The global transfection reagents and equipment market share is segmented based on product, method, and application.

Based on product, the global market is categorized into reagents and equipment. 

The reagents segment is the highest contributor to the market and is predicted to exhibit a CAGR of 8.04% during the forecast period. Limitations in transfection due to differences between cell types can be circumvented with the right choice of reagents. These include activation of cellular stress pathways and unexpected experimental bias resulting from varying transfection sensitivities and efficiencies. The latest polymeric formulations-based reagents are gentle to cells compared to cationic liposomal reagents, and these reagents render higher gene-delivery efficiency, further promoting the development of unique transfection reagents in the market.

Based on method, the global transfection reagents and equipment market is categorized into electroporation, liposomes, particle bombardment, microinjection, adenoviral vectors, microinjection, calcium phosphate, DEAE–dextran, magnetic beads, activated dendrimers, and perfection. 

The electroporation segment is the highest contributor to the market and is predicted to exhibit a CAGR of 8.4% during the forecast period. This segment accounts for the largest revenue share in 2022 due to this method's stability, ease of use, and variability advantages. Electroporation provides rapid transfection in terms of process duration as well. For instance, mammalian cells and in vivo electroporation can be conducted in less than an hour. Electroporation's rapid, efficient, and cost-effective nature is expected to drive the segment steadily over the forecast period.

Based on application, the global market is segmented into gene expression studies, protein production, transgenic models, therapeutic delivery, cancer research, and biomedical research. 

The gene expression studies segment dominated the global transfection reagents and equipment market at a CAGR of 8.8% during the forecast period. The gene expression studies segment accounted for a significantly large revenue share. Gene expression includes analysis of the gene product generation activity originating from its coding gene. It acts as a sensitive indicator for a biological activity where alterations in gene expression patterns are reflected in overall biological process modifications. Therefore, this approach is widely employed in clinical, research, and pharmaceutical applications to understand better specific genes, gene activity profiles, and pathways.

This application implements a transfection technique for introducing exogenous sequences of siRNAs and miRNAs into cells and utilizes it to study genes of interest to carry out transient protein production. Thus, transfection in gene expression studies helps elucidate genetic pathways, determine protein function, and unravel novel gene targets for the development of pharmaceuticals and biotherapeutics. The presence of several research projects entitled to gene expression in combination with systems biology to study disease and altered metabolic pathways is anticipated to drive this segment in the coming years.

Recent Developments

• May 2023 - Axxam and Promega announced the formalization of an agreement that will offer world-class early-stage drug discovery services for different classes of targets and cellular pathways. 
• July 2022- The most recent and sophisticated multi-component transfection reagent, FuGENE® 4K, was created to transfer DNA into difficult and routine mammalian cell lines. FuGENE® 4K, which builds on prior eras of FuGENE® technology, offers gentle, low-toxicity transfection that users have learned to expect from FuGENE® reagents while efficiently delivering DNA into various cell lines.