Cell Culture Media Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Classical Media, Specialty Media, Serum Free Media, and Others), By Application (Drug Screening and Development, Research, and Others), By End User (Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries, Academic & Research Laboratories, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2023-2030

The global cell culture media market size was valued at USD 2.43 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow from USD 2.56 billion in 2023 to USD 5.60 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period. 

Cell culture media constitutes solid, liquid, or semisolid media, which is made up of several contents and nutrients to simulate the growth, propagation, maintenance, and storage of microorganisms. 

These products are one of the critical ingredients in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, therefore driving its demand and augmenting market growth. Furthermore, increasing expenditure by pharmaceutical companies to conduct R&D initiatives and emerging research initiatives to introduce cell-based vaccines is also set to drive the growth of the market.

• For instance, in July 2022, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) launched an early-stage clinical trial that can evaluate an investigational vaccine to prevent infection with the Nipah virus.

Furthermore, the rising awareness regarding stem cell research and the growing focus of major companies to launch personalized and regenerative medicine augments the growth of the market.

COVID-19 IMPACT

Emphasis on the Development of Vaccines to Surge Product Demand amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic positively impacted the demand for cell culture media. The pandemic led to an increase in demand for these products for the production of vaccines. The stability in the supply chain of consumables required for the production of COVID-19 vaccines fueled the market growth.

As the demand for these products increased, key players in the market started expanding their production capacity to fulfill the high product demand, leading to significant growth.

• For instance, in May 2020, OPM expanded its commercial scale production for GMP grade cell culture media in Shanghai. The annual capacity of the facility is in thousand tons, and liquid media can reach millions of liters.

Furthermore, major companies in the market reported an increase in their revenue for the year 2020 due to the launch of new products. The serum-free media segment witnessed significant growth during this period owing to the increased demand for these products for the manufacturing of vaccines.

In 2021, the demand for such products remained high as vaccine production continued across the globe. Major companies reported an increase in their revenue for the year 2021 as well. Therefore, increased demand for vaccine production during COVID-19, along with the geographical expansion of major companies, propelled the market growth during the pandemic.

• For instance, in 2021, Thermo Fisher Inc. generated a revenue of USD 15,631.0 million for its life sciences solutions segment.

LATEST TRENDS

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Adoption of the Latest Cell Culture Technology to Improve Cell Growth and Productivity  

Researchers across the globe are conducting research and development activities to introduce new technologies to increase the efficiency of cell culture media for various clinical applications. 

It has been witnessed that albumins are essential during the bio-manufacturing of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins. Albumin binds and stabilizes a range of important small molecules and ions.

Therefore, the addition of recombinant mammalian albumin supplement is expected to boost market growth and the product yield of cells in the culture medium by providing a synergistic effect in culturing Hybridoma and Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines.

• For instance, according to an article published by Sigma Aldrich, albumin serum-free media supplements were found useful in bio-manufacturing, tissue engineering, and specialty media. This upcoming trend provides an opportunity in the market.

Similarly, another advancement in the development of cell culture media is adding nano fibers. These fibers are optically transparent, which allows live-cell imaging and real-time quantification of cell mobility. The nano fibers also mimic the 3D topography in vivo and provide the potential to be easily coated with ECM proteins for cancer research.

• For instance, Merck KGaA offers a nanofiber cell culture dish with randomly oriented nanofibers, which provides a potential for the incorporation of epidermal and fibroblast growth factors. This is a new trend in the cell culture industry, which provides an opportunity in this market.

The adoption of advanced technologies is expected to boost the growth of the market over the forecast period.

DRIVING FACTORS

Increasing Production of Vaccines Globally to Drive the Market Growth

Major pharmaceutical companies across the globe have started expanding their vaccine production facilities. New players are also seen to have entered the market. This has led to the expansion of vaccine production across all major countries. Due to these factors, the demand for raw materials such as culture media is also anticipated to grow, subsequently driving the global market growth.

• For instance, in March 2022, Moderna, Inc. announced the setup of a manufacturing facility in Kenya in order to produce mRNA vaccines.


• Considering another instance, in August 2021, the European Medicines Agency’s human medicines committee approved an additional manufacturing site for the production of Comirnaty, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer. Also, EMA has approved a new manufacturing line at BioNTech’s manufacturing site in Marburg, Germany, which increases the active substance manufacturing capacity by approximately 410.0 million doses.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of the production of vaccines across the globe. Thus, in order to meet the increasing demand for COVID-19 vaccines among people, many countries started producing their own vaccines.

• In April 2021, at the African Union vaccination conference, the African nations set the goal of developing their own vaccine production capacity, which can cover 60 percent of their continent’s vaccine needs by 2040.

In order to expand the production capacity of vaccines, cell cultures have also proven to be the most appropriate hosts for the propagation of many types of viruses. Thus, cell culture systems producing a large quantity of attenuated viral particles have always been the basis for the production of both bovine and human vaccines.

Furthermore, major players in the market have also engaged in the development of specialty media for maximum production and growth of the virus. Cell lines derived from kidneys, such as Vero, MDCK, and HEK293, are currently used for the production of viral vaccines. Thus, the importance of these consumables in the production of vaccines and the increasing production capacity of vaccines are likely to augment the demand for these products during the forecast period.

Increasing Applications of Gene Therapies and Growing Number of Ongoing Cancer Research Projects to Boost the Product Demand 

Gene therapy is used for the treatment of multiple acquired and inherited neurological diseases. In addition to this, gene products are also said to reduce cellular dysfunction and have been proven to be a new therapeutic option. Furthermore, several applications of gene therapy have currently emerged and researchers across the globe are involved in R&D activities to discover new applications.

• For instance, gene therapy is currently used as an experimental treatment of genetic disorders such as Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID), Chronic Granulomatous Disorder (CGD), and hemophilia.

Gene therapy is dependent upon viral vectors, which are used to deliver desirable genetic sequences into the cells of the targeted tissue. Propagation of viral vectors in the host cell is necessary for its clinical uses. Cell culture media which fulfills cellular requirements with recombinant proteins also reduces the introduction of viral RNA and DNA, prion proteins, undefined antigenic molecules, and others.

• For instance, OptiPEAK is chemically defined and optimized to promote the superior expansion kinetics of HEK293t, both in tissue culture and in bioreactor formats for clinical and commercial manufacturing. Therefore, the increasing applications of gene therapies require large use of cell culture media and boost the market.

Furthermore, with the increased prevalence of chronic diseases, such as cancer, research institutes have been carrying out several research projects to develop new and advanced treatment options.

To carry out such projects, these products are widely used. Therefore, the growing number of research projects is anticipated to increase the demand for consumables, which supports the market growth.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

Lack of Infrastructure and Highly Skilled Professionals in Emerging Countries to Hamper the Market Growth

The preparation of cell culture media requires laboratories with modern and specifically designed equipment for sterilization and propagation purposes. However, in low and middle-income countries, laboratories are only equipped with basic instruments and have a poorly implemented quality management system with lack of resources, hindering the quality of culture media mainly due to the high contamination rate.

• For instance, according to a 2021 article published by Elsevier, laboratories in LMICs face multiple challenges such as clean water, uninterrupted power supply, high environmental temperatures and humidity, and continuous supply of consumables for preparation of quality culture media.

The availability of an adequate number of skilled personnel in culture laboratories is another factor that impacts the productivity of the lab. However, the lack of highly skilled technicians in emerging countries' laboratories poses a challenge to the quality of the media. Due to the lack of skilled laboratory technicians, the preparation and maintenance of the culture media are impacted, hindering the process cycle.

Furthermore, the expenditure on research and development in developing regions such as Africa is significantly lower. This factor is also one of the major reasons for hindering the growth and development of the laboratory infrastructure.

The above mentioned factors, along with ethical concerns with the adoption of animal-derived components, are anticipated to hinder market growth.

SEGMENTATION

By Type Analysis 

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Increased Research in Genetic Engineering and Research Studies to Drive the Demand for Classical Media

On the basis of type, the market is subdivided into classical media, specialty media, serum free media, and others. The classical media segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2022. The increasing research spending for biopharmaceutical and biotechnology products which require consumables such as cell culture media boosts the demand for these products.

The specialty media segment is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. Due to surge in the number of infectious diseases, the demand for specialty media for effective diagnosis of infectious microorganisms fuels the demand for specialty media.

The advantage of serum-free media over other media, such as increased growth or productivity and decreased contamination risk from serum-borne adventitious agents in cell culture, drives the demand for the segment.

• For instance, in March 2021, PromoCell GmbH launched an improved 3^rd generation Melanocyte Cell Culture Portfolio, a serum-free and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-free media formulation to expand its portfolio.

By Application Analysis

Adoption of Cell-based Array in Drug Screening and Development to Spur the Segment Growth

By application, the market is segregated into drug screening and development, research, and others.

The drug screening and development segment held a considerable market share in 2022. The increasing demand for culture media in the development of vaccines and several other therapeutic treatments has led major companies to introduce new products in the market, leading to the growth of the segment.

The research segment is expected to grow with a significant CAGR over the forecast period. Factors such as increasing R&D procedures for the development of new treatments for cancer augment the demand for cell culture media, driving the segmental growth. Other applications of these products include industrial production, diagnostics, and stem cell research. The rising awareness of stem cell culture and its advanced application in life science is expected to fuel the growth of the segment.

By End User Analysis

Based on end user, the market is segmented into biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, academic & research laboratories, and others. The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries segment dominates the market. Factors such as increasing regulatory approvals for vaccines, rise in the use of cell culture consumables in research activities, and a surge in clinical research spending in developed as well as developing economies propel the growth of the segment.

• For instance, according to the United Nations Children’s Funds, the number of vaccines approved by at least one national regulatory authority globally is around 30 and more than 10 vaccines are available for emergency use listed by the World Health Organization.

The academic & research laboratories segment is expected to account for a significant share of the market over the forecast period. The rise in applications of these products in research studies globally boosts the segment growth.

REGIONAL INSIGHTS

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On the basis of region, the global market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the rest of the world.

The market size in North America stood at USD 1.05 billion in 2022. A major factor driving the growth of the market in this region is increasing spending on R&D activities by major players in the biopharmaceutical market. Furthermore, increasing efforts of key companies to expand their production capacity in the region also drive the growth of the market.

• For instance, in November 2022, FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific, Inc. announced an investment of USD 188.0 million to establish a manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, U.S.

The increasing demand for viral vectors for gene therapy and the strategic developments done by key industry players in Europe augment the growth of the market.

• For instance, in August 2021, Sartorius acquired Xell, the cell culture specialist in Germany, through its subgroup Sartorius Stedim Biotech Xell develops, produces, and markets nutrient media for cell cultures, especially for the production of viral vectors used in gene therapies and vaccines.

Asia Pacific is projected to record the highest CAGR over the forecast period. The increasing demand for life science research and the rapid development of biopharmaceuticals, oncology, and stem cell research are a few of the driving factors for the market in this region.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Strong Product Portfolios of Thermo Fisher Scientific and Danaher Led to Their Dominance

The global market is consolidated and the major players account for a dominant share. Thermo Fisher Scientific and Danaher together accounted for major cell culture media market share in 2022. The dominance of these companies is attributed to the strong distribution network and their continuous efforts to launch new products in the market. Furthermore, strategic decisions such as mergers and acquisitions are also important factors leading these players to strengthen their market position.

• For instance, in March 2021, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc announced the launch of a new Gibco Human Plasma-like Medium. The cell culture medium is an innovative offering on the market which mimics the metabolic profile of human plasma to help provide researchers with a realistic view of cell growth within the human body. The development helps the company consolidate its brand presence in the market.

Other prominent players such as FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific, Inc., BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), Sartorius AG, and Corning Incorporated are focused on increasing their R&D activities to secure a significant position in the market.

LIST OF KEY COMPANIES PROFILED:

• Fujifilm Irvine Scientific (U.S.)


• Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.)


• BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (U.S.)


• Merck KGaA (Germany)


• Sartorius AG (Germany)


• Corning Incorporated (U.S.)


• PromoCell GmbH (Germany)


• Lonza (Switzerland)


• Danaher (U.S.)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• August 2022- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced the expansion of their dry powder media manufacturing facility in Grand Island, New York. The company expanded its production capacity to meet the increasing demand for culture media used for the manufacturing of new vaccines and biologics.


• January 2022- Cytiva and Nucleus Biologics, LLC. signed a collaboration agreement on custom media formulation and fulfillment solutions for the gene and cell therapy industry.


• July 2021- Sartorius AG announced its acquisition of cell culture specialist Xell AG. The company is responsible for developing, producing, and marketing media and feed supplements for cell cultures for the manufacturing of viral vectors, which are used in gene therapeutics and vaccines.


• January 2021- Cytiva launched the HiScreen Fibro PrismA product available for early mAb purification process development. The fiber-based protein A platform accelerated the company’s R&D activities and increased its productivity in large-scale manufacturing settings.


• April 2021- PromoCell GmbH launched an upgrade to a well-established Keratinocyte Cell Culture Portfolio. It is an addition of improved animal extract-free “Keratinocyte GROWTH MEDIUM 3” for the standardized isolation and expansion of juvenile and adult Normal Human Keratinocytes.

REPORT COVERAGE

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The global cell culture media market research report provides a detailed analysis of the market. It focuses on key aspects such as new product launches, advantages of chemically defined media over other types, recent research and development activities, key market trends, and the impact of COVID-19 on the market. In addition to the factors mentioned above, it encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the global market in recent years.

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