The global microcarrier market is growing at a significant CAGR of around 6.0% during the forecast period (2019-2025). The market is driven by the rising demand for cell-based vaccines and single-use technology. For instance, in UK, major governmental funding organizations such as the Medical Research Council (MRC), BBSRC, and Innovate UK, had invested $191.8 million into stem cell research and regenerative medicine in 2014-2015. The New York Stem Cell Foundation has invested over $150 million in stem cell research over the past few years. Other non-profit organizations working in the cell-based research includes The National Stem Cell Foundation and The Anthony Nolan Trust based in UK. National Stem cell Foundation of Australia, Parkinson's in UK are further showing promising results for treating neuro-degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s with stem cell therapies.

In addition, the rising demand for 3D cell culture technology and introduction of disposable microcarriers is expected to offer growth to the microcarrier market during the forecast period. For instance, in January 2018, Corning Inc. introduced Corning Dissolvable Microcarriers for large-scale cell expansion. Its new collagen-coated Corning Dissolvable Microcarriers are intended to facilitate the process of cell harvesting, separation, and concentration. It augments cell attachment for optimal viability and yield. The microcarriers dissolved easily under 10 to 20 minutes, facilitates in cells collection without requiring microcarrier separation. The platform provides cell separation that is more convenient, gentler and faster, compared to traditional microcarriers. It is ideal for applications of cell therapy, cell banking, mass-volume adherent cell culture scale-up and vaccine production.

Segmental Outlook  

The microcarrier market is classified on the basis of product type, application, and end-user. Based on type, the market is segmented into equipment and consumables. Based on application, the market is segmented into vaccine, cell therapy, and others. Based on the end-user, the market is segmented into pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research organizations (CROs), and research institutes.

Global Microcarrier Market Share by Type, 2018(%)

Significant application of microcarriers in vaccine production

Microcarriers are significantly used in the production of vaccines. There is a rising adoption of cell-based technology for vaccine production, and production of recombinant therapeutics, including monoclonal antibodies for cancer treatment has been witnessed. The cell-based flu vaccines have been approved for the use across several European countries. Several European big-pharmaceutical companies are leading the field with significant capacity expansion in the US. Seasonal influenza vaccines are produced using egg-based technology, which is being replaced by cell culture systems by considering less production time, flexibility, lesser sterility issues, and reduced allergy risks.

Regional Outlook 

The global microcarrier market is classified on the basis of geography, which includes North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World. Europe holds a significant share in the global microcarrier market. This is owing to the well-developed healthcare sector and considerably high healthcare expenditure and infrastructure in its economies such as Germany, UK, France, Romania, and Portugal, among others. The increasing demand for innovations in the cell culture equipment for better productivity in biopharmaceutical production and reliable research is leading to automated cell culture processes and systems. Additionally, contract manufacturing and research activities is pacing up to cater to the ever-increasing demands of the healthcare sector with respect to advanced treatment options in Europe.

Global Microcarrier Market Growth, by Region 2019-2025

Asia-Pacific is expected to propel with a considerable growth rate in the global market

Asia-Pacific is estimated to project a considerable CAGR in the global microcarrier market. This is backed by the increasing R&D investments by big pharmaceutical companies in life science research coupled with harnessing innovation. Asia-Pacific has a potential market for stem cell research due to the increasing R&D in solid tumor and investments by big pharmaceutical companies in cancer drug discovery. Increasing government funding of scientific research has promoted rapid developments in stem-cell research in China. For instance, in 2012, the Chinese government and UK government have taken an initiative regarding stem cell research, called UK-China Stem Cell Partnership Initiative. The initiative is aimed at providing funding for collaborative research projects that are primarily focused on basic and preclinical research of relevance to the longer-term development of stem cell-based therapies for human diseases and disorders.

Market Players Outlook

The key players in the microcarrier market are contributing significantly by providing advanced technology-based products and through expanding their geographical presence across the globe. The key players operating in the global microcarrier market include Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., General Electric Co., Pall Corp., Corning Inc., and Sartorius AG. These market players adopt various strategies such as product launch, partnerships, collaborations, merger, and acquisitions to sustain a strong position in the market.

The Report Covers

• Market value data analysis of 2018 and forecast to 2025.
• Annualized market revenues ($ million) for each market segment.
• Country-wise analysis of major geographical regions.
• Key companies operating in the global microcarrier market. Based on the availability of data, information related to pipeline products, and relevant news is also available in the report.
• Analysis of business strategies by identifying the key market segments positioned for strong growth in the future.
• Analysis of market-entry and market expansion strategies.
• Competitive strategies by identifying ‘who-stands-where’ in the market.