Research antibodies market is estimated to witness high growth, owing to rising use in proteomics research & increasing funding for drug discovery programs
Research antibodies market size is estimated to be valued at USD 11.91 Bn in 2024, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.6% over the forecast period 2024-2031. Rising investments in proteomics research and widespread use of research antibodies in drug discovery programs are driving the market growth. Furthermore, technological advancements in antibody production techniques enables researchers to develop novel antibodies, thus, driving the market growth.
Market Dynamics:
Global research antibodies market growth is primarily driven by increasing funding for drug discovery programs by both government as well as private players. Government agencies such as National Institute of Health allocates higher funds for development of novel therapeutics with increased focus on personalized medicines. Rising prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases prompts private organizations to invest heavily in R&D activities. This high focus on development of innovative treatment options can boost demand for research antibodies in the near future. The wide application of research antibodies in proteomics research can also drive the market growth. Advanced antibody-based proteomics techniques are gaining widespread adoption for comprehensive analysis of gene function, thus, driving the market growth.
Major Drivers-
Increasing R&D Spending and Investments in Life Sciences
Rising investments and spending on research and development activities, especially within the life sciences domain, can drive the market growth. There has been a significant increase in investments by governments as well as private organizations to support basic research as well as clinical trials involving therapeutics, drug discovery and diagnostics. The investments have enabled expansion of R&D infrastructure including high-end research facilities and recruitment of skilled scientific workforce. This has boosted demand for research tools and consumables like antibodies that are indispensable to a wide range of research applications.
Surging Demand for Personalized Medicine and Companion Diagnostics
Another major factor driving the research antibodies market is growing focus on personalized medicine approaches and development of companion diagnostics. The shift towards precision medicine has fueled the need to better understand disease at a molecular level to develop targeted therapies. This has boosted demand for biomarker analysis using research antibodies that can help identify patient populations most likely to respond to certain drugs. Pharmaceutical companies are also increasingly relying on molecular profiling with diagnostic tools to develop safer and more effective drugs. This growing emphasis on biomarkers and companion diagnostics can boost demand for research antibodies.
Major Restraints:
High Prices of Novel and Custom Antibodies
The costs of development, validation and production of certain classes of novel antibodies is quite high. This is passed on to the end users in the form of high product prices, limiting widespread accessibility. Even custom and polyclonal antibodies that are specific to less common disease targets are costly. This acts as a deterrent, particularly for small labs, biotech start-ups and academic institutes with limited research budgets. Affordability remains an important factor influencing purchasing decisions in this market.
Quality and Specificity Issues with Some Antibodies
One of the major factor restraining broader adoption of research antibodies is uncertainty regarding specificity and functionality of certain products. Issues pertaining to specificity, reproducibility and quality of a section of antibodies can raise concerns among end users. This owes to factors like nature of the target antigen, species and isotype differences that introduce variations. The resultant loss of confidence poses hindrances, especially for applications that require high accuracy and reproducibility of results. Extensive validation necessary also adds to the cost and complexity of research.
Major Opportunities:
Growing Proteomics and Cell Biology Research
Proteomics and cell biology have evolved as two of the most promising areas within life sciences that offer lucrative opportunities for research antibody vendors. Proteomics entails large-scale study of proteins to gain a comprehensive understanding of organisms, diseases and drug effects at the systems level. Cell biology research investigating intracellular processes, signaling pathways and cell-cell interactions has expanded significantly. Both domains rely heavily on high-quality antibodies for crucial applications like protein detection, analysis and validation. The market is thus witnessing solid gains from booming proteomics and cell biology domains.
Burgeoning Bioproduction and Bioprocessing Demand
Increasing demand for antibody from rapidly expanding bioproduction and bioprocessing industries can offer growth opportunities. Areas like biopharmaceutical development, biosimilars manufacturing and analytical testing of biomolecules utilize various research antibodies. Their application spans downstream processing, quality testing, process optimization and product characterization. With biologics emerging as the dominant class of therapeutic drugs, tremendous opportunities lie ahead for research antibody makers to cater to burgeoning requirements of prolific bioproduction and biomanufacturing sectors.
Link: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/market-insight/research-antibodies-market-5247
Key Development
- On May 30, 2024, Scientists from Texas Biomedical Research Institute, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Columbia University developed a human monoclonal antibody effective against multiple strains of SARS-CoV-2. Led by Dr. Luis Martinez-Sobrido, the research offers promise for a universal antibody, as it demonstrated efficacy against the original SARS-CoV-2, Omicron, and SARS-CoV. This breakthrough, published on BioRXiv, suggests potential for future strain defense when combined with other antibodies.
- In February 2022, Abcam, Biotechnology company, announced its collaboration with Twist Bioscience, a leading provider of synthetic DNA, aiming to enhance antibody discovery for diagnostic and research applications
- In February 2022, Merck Millipore a life science company announced its acquisition of Exelead for approximately US$ 780 million. This acquisition enables Merck's Life Science business division to offer end-to-end CDMO services across the mRNA value chain to its customers.
- In November 2021, Nautilus Biotechnology a development stage life sciences company announced a strategic agreement with Abcam to accelerate research and development of the Proteome. This agreement grants Nautilus Biotechnology's customers access to Abcam's antibody development technology and expertise.
Key Players: Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Merck KGaA (including Sigma-Aldrich), Abcam plc, Cell Signaling Technology, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., Lonza Group AG, GenScript Biotech Corporation, BioLegend, Inc., Bio-Techne Corporation, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., BD Biosciences (Becton, Dickinson and Company), PerkinElmer, Inc., Active Motif, QIAGEN N.V., OriGene Technologies, Inc., Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc., R&D Systems (part of Bio-Teachne Corporation), Proteintech Group, Inc.
