Flow Cytometry Market

Flow Cytometry: A Breakthrough Technology for Cell Analysis

Flow cytometry is a powerful technology that enables the analysis of single cells and particles in a fluid stream. This technique involves the detection and measurement of physical and chemical characteristics of cells by passing them through a laser-based detection system. It has revolutionized the field of cellular analysis by providing a high-throughput, quantitative, and accurate analysis of individual cells in heterogeneous populations.

Flow cytometry has numerous applications in biomedical research, clinical diagnosis, and drug discovery. In research, it is used for cell cycle analysis, immunophenotyping, apoptosis detection, and intracellular signaling pathway analysis. In clinical diagnosis, it is used for blood cell counting, cancer diagnosis, and HIV monitoring. In drug discovery, it is used for high-throughput screening and drug efficacy testing.

One of the key advantages of flow cytometry is its ability to analyze multiple parameters simultaneously. This means that researchers can measure multiple cell characteristics in a single experiment, providing more detailed and accurate data than traditional methods. Flow cytometry also allows for the analysis of rare cell populations, which are difficult to detect using other techniques.

Dynamics of Flow Cytometry Market

Drivers in Flow Cytometry Market

The growth of the global flow cytometry market is driven by the increasing focus of key players on developing and commercializing technologically advanced instruments with improved workflows, operability, and turnaround times. The adoption of advanced flow cytometry products is high in mature markets, which is expected to show significant demand growth during the forecast period. For example, Beckman Coulter, a Danaher Corporation company, has launched CellMek SPS, a fully automated sample preparation system for clinical flow cytometry, which offers vital information regarding a patient's response to COVID-19 antigens, aiding in effective treatment decisions. Additionally, the rising prevalence of infectious diseases, such as AIDS and tuberculosis, globally, is driving the adoption of flow cytometry techniques, which can offer a promising option for immunophenotyping, and pathogenic microbes can be easily detected from environmental samples using this technique.

Low- and lower-middle-income countries with a substantial infectious disease burden are expected to increase demand for highly efficient testing options, such as flow cytometry. Moreover, increasing investments in major biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies are significantly boosting the industry's growth. For example, GlaxoSmithKline invested around 300 million in Vir Biotechnology, a clinical-stage immunology company, to support its antibody drug development program for COVID-19. The investment by GSK in Vir Biotechnology represents a significant commitment to advance the development of new treatments for infectious diseases, particularly in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opportunities in Flow Cytometry Market

Public-private funding initiatives are providing significant opportunities for stem cell research. The increasing adoption of flow cytometry in stem cell research, coupled with favourable regulations in emerging countries, has driven global stem cell research activities. Many stem cell product pipelines and the use of stem cells in the treatment of various diseases also support the growth of the industry. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (US) has granted USD 31 million to three researchers from Stanford University (US) to conduct first-in-human trials of stem cells to treat stroke, heart failure, and a type of brain and spinal cord tumor. Additionally, the demand for point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases is driving market demand. The use of flow cytometry in PoC healthcare facilities is supported by government initiatives and the availability of advanced instruments capable of multiplexing applications. Healthcare establishments are also focusing on providing effective and rapid diagnostic results by switching to point-of-care tests, which is expected to drive market growth.

Limitation in Flow Cytometry Market

High Costs of Products

The procurement and maintenance of multiple flow cytometry instruments for carrying out various research studies simultaneously pose a significant increase in capital cost for end users, including clinical laboratories, large research facilities, and pharmaceutical companies. This is due to maintenance costs and other indirect expenses that add up to the total cost of ownership of these instruments. Consequently, high product installation costs and related expenditures act as a barrier to the adoption of flow cytometry instruments, particularly in developing nations. Furthermore, the advanced features and functionalities equipped in flow cytometry instruments make them high-priced. However, the cost of flow cytometer instruments varies from USD 100,000 to USD 500,000 per unit on average, which is expensive. Additionally, biotechnology companies such as Pfizer Inc. are investing in R&D infrastructure in biopharmaceutical, clinical, and life sciences research, with PBGI investing USD 120 million in biotechnology innovation. These investments and funding opportunities are expected to foster R&D for cell analysis using flow cytometry techniques, particularly in new drug discovery and development activities. Meanwhile, technological advancements in the latest flow cytometry instrumentation have improved accuracy, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, creating new growth opportunities for the industry.

The integration of digital and imaging technologies into traditional flow cytometry procedures has revolutionized the field of flow cytometry. As a result, novel product offerings are being launched, such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.'s Invitrogen Attune CytPix Flow Cytometer, which combines acoustic focusing technology with an imaging camera. This innovation allows for the collection of high-resolution images and flow cytometry data at the same time, providing added value to the technique and benefiting industry growth.

Ecosystem of Flow Cytometry Market

The global Flow Cytometry market is segmented based on end users into academic and research institutes, hospitals and clinical testing laboratories, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The academic and research institutes segment held the largest market share due to the growing focus of academic institutions on developing assays for innovative applications and the increasing investments by pharmaceutical companies in academic research.

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During the forecast period, the instrument segment of the flow cytometry market was dominant, holding a share of 31%. This was due to the higher penetration of instruments in the market, coupled with technological advancements. Sony Biotechnology, Inc. launched its CGX10, a closed-cell isolation system, for use in GMP-compliant cell sorting applications, which was expected to open up new growth opportunities for the company. Technological advancements have led to cost-effectiveness, enhanced accuracy, and portability of instruments, which are expected to create future growth opportunities for the industry.

In the coming years, small-sized high-throughput cytometers are likely to gain acceptance due to their allied advantages such as user-friendliness and cost-effectiveness. The software segment is also expected to witness significant growth with a CAGR of 7.6% during the forecast years. In flow cytometry, software is used to control and acquire data generated by cytometers, analyze the information, and provide statistical analysis of the outcomes. The software is used for cell acquisition and data analysis in research purposes, while in clinical diagnosis, it is used for disease diagnosis by analyzing patients' samples.

These wide applications are projected to boost the industry in the near future. Additionally, new product developments by key companies are significant factors driving the growth of this segment. In 2022, BD launched a software solution specifically designed for flow cytometry workflow, enabling higher-quality experiments with faster time to insight for scientists working in various disciplines such as oncology, virology, immunology, and infectious disease monitoring.

During the forecast period, cell-based flow cytometry held the largest revenue share of over 73%, and accounted for more than 69.6% of the overall revenue. The dominance of cell-based assays can be attributed to the increasing awareness about their benefits and rising demand for early diagnosis. Additionally, the technological advancements in cell-based assays, such as software, instruments, algorithms, affinity reagents, and labels, are expected to contribute to their adoption in the coming years. Meanwhile, the bead-based assay segment is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period.

Bead-based flow cytometry is a technique used to measure various intracellular soluble proteins, including growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, and phosphorylated cell signaling proteins. The high-throughput flow cytometry technique is considered an optimal tool for conducting multiplex bead-based assays, which have high growth potential in the field of research, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases. The need for these assays is expected to show lucrative growth in the coming years due to advancements in monoclonal antibody production and molecular engineering, which have led to advantages such as cost-efficiency, short turnaround time, and micro-sampling capabilities.

The clinical segment dominated the flow cytometry market, accounting for a significant share of 42.6% in 2022. The growth in this segment can be attributed to the increasing R&D activities related to cancer and infectious diseases, including COVID-19, and rising investments in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. The launch of novel flow cytometry solutions for clinical applications and continuous growth strategies by key players are also expected to support the growth of this segment. For instance, Beckman Coulter launched CellMek SPS in 2022, which is a solution for manual sample preparation and data management bottlenecks in clinical flow cytometry.

The industrial segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment, with a CAGR of 9.8%, due to the increasing use of flow cytometry in cell culture. This technique is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for various applications, including drug development, target identification, and compound screening, as well as clinical research and safety evaluation. Flow cytometry offers high throughput and rapidity for large-scale drug development and testing, detecting multiple parameters on the cell surface and generating complex and sufficient data by excluding false positives in single-parameter tests. These advantages of using flow cytometry in large-scale bioprocessing operations for drug development are expected to drive market growth over the forecast period.

The commercial organizations segment held a major share of the flow cytometry market during the forecast period, owing to heavy investments in R&D activities, advancements in cell- and bead-based technologies, growing patient population, and increasing demand for flow cytometry in the drug discovery process. This segment is expected to exhibit a prominent growth rate of 9.0%, owing to the increasing novel clinical applications and immunoassay processes, as well as diversified applications of flow cytometry in disease diagnosis.

Regional Insights

The global flow cytometry market is segmented geographically into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. North America holds the largest share of the market, followed by Europe. Although the North American market is mature with high adoption rates of flow cytometry technologies among key end-users, it is still expected to offer significant growth opportunities due to the expanding application areas of flow cytometry in clinical settings. The growth of the market in the region is driven by factors such as the presence of a favourable business environment, growing government support through funds and grants, the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and cancer, and the focus on developing treatment options for target diseases such as cancer and immunological disorders, and the strong presence of key players.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness a substantial Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.5% during the forecast period, due to the growing pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in emerging economies such as China and India. The increasing use of cytometry devices in various applications and the growing incidence of chronic diseases also contribute to the growth of the market in the region. Ongoing innovations in the fields of cancer and infectious illnesses, including COVID-19, are also expected to fuel the growth of the regional market. Furthermore, extensive research activities by regional players to improve or develop innovative flow cytometry solutions are expected to support market growth in the region over the projected period.

Dominating Companies in Flow Cytometry Market

• BD
• DANAHER CORPORATION
• THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC, INC.
• AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC
• SONY BIOTECHNOLOGY INC. (A SUBSIDIARY OF SONY GROUP CORPORATION)
• BIO-RAD LABORATORIES INC.
• MILTENYI BIOTEC
• ENZO BIOCHEM, INC.
• SYSMEX CORPORATION
• LUMINEX CORPORATION (A DIASORIN COMPANY)
• BIOMÉRIEUX SA
• CYTONOME/ST, LLC.
• SARTORIUS AG
• CYTEK BIOSCIENCES
• UNION BIOMETRICA, INC.
• APOGEE FLOW SYSTEMS LTD.
• STRATEDIGM, INC.
• NANOCELLECT BIOMEDICAL, INC.
• ON-CHIP BIOTECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
• NEXCELOM BIOSCIENCE LLC.
• BENNUBIO INC.
• ORFLO TECHNOLOGIES
• BAY BIOSCIENCE CO., LTD.
• CYTOBUOY B.V.
• BIOLEGEND, INC

Recent Developments in Flow Cytometry Market

• In 2021, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences acquired a flow cytometry reagent company, Propel Labs, to expand its product portfolio and strengthen its position in the flow cytometry market. The acquisition is expected to help the company enhance its capabilities in the areas of cell biology research and clinical diagnostics.
• In the same year, Thermo Fisher Scientific acquired a flow cytometry software company, Cytobank, to enhance its capabilities in data analysis and workflow management. The acquisition is expected to help Thermo Fisher Scientific better serve its customers in the areas of drug discovery and development, cancer research, and immunology.
• In 2020, BD, a leading player in the flow cytometry market, announced a strategic partnership with the cell sorting company, Propel Labs. The partnership aimed to develop and market high-quality flow cytometry reagents and protocols for cell sorting applications.
• Also in 2020, Sony Biotechnology, Inc. announced a partnership with the Swiss company, Miltenyi Biotec, to develop new products and technologies for flow cytometry applications. The partnership aimed to leverage Sony's expertise in flow cytometry instrumentation with Miltenyi's expertise in cell biology research and cell separation technologies.
• In 2019, BD acquired the flow cytometry instrumentation company, Accuri Cytometers, to expand its product portfolio and strengthen its position in the market. The acquisition is expected to help BD better serve its customers in the areas of cancer research, immunology, and drug discovery and development.
• In October 2021, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced the acquisition of Partek Incorporated, a provider of software solutions for genomic data analysis. The acquisition is expected to enhance Thermo Fisher's bioinformatics capabilities, including those related to flow cytometry data analysis.
• In June 2020, Beckman Coulter announced a strategic partnership with the University of California, Irvine (UCI) to establish the Advanced Biomedical Technology Research Resource Center (ABTRC). The center is focused on developing and validating new technologies for biomedical research, including flow cytometry.
• In March 2020, Sartorius AG announced the acquisition of selected life science businesses from Danaher Corporation, including the flow cytometry platform of Beckman Coulter Life Sciences. The acquisition is expected to strengthen Sartorius' position in the biopharmaceutical market.
• In July 2019, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) announced a partnership with the University of Oxford to advance the use of single-cell genomics in cancer research. The partnership is focused on developing new technologies, including flow cytometry-based tools, for the analysis of cancer cells at the single-cell level.

In conclusion, flow cytometry is a powerful technology that has revolutionized the field of cellular analysis. It has numerous applications in research, clinical diagnosis, and drug discovery, and its ability to analyze multiple parameters simultaneously provides more detailed and accurate data than traditional methods. With the growing demand for personalized medicine and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, the flow cytometry market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.