Stem Cell Research Products: Opportunities, Tools, & Technologies

Additional Information

Excerpt

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Stem cells are primitive cells found in all multi-cellular organisms that are characterized by self-renewal and the capacity to differentiate into any mature cell type. Several broad categories of stem cells exist, including:

• Embryonic stem cells, derived from blastocysts
• Post-natal stem cells, derived from newborn tissues
• Adult stem cells, found in adult tissues – including Hematopoietic stem cells, Mesenchymal stem cells, and Neural stem cells
• Induced pluripotent stem cells, reprogrammed from adult cells
• Cancer stem cells, which give rise to clonal populations of cells that form tumors or disperse in the body
• Animal stem cells, derived from non-human sources

Stem cells are still a relatively new discovery, as the first mouse embryonic stem cells were derived from embryos in 1981, but it was not until 1995 that the first successful culturing of embryonic stem cells from non-human primates occurred and not until November 1998 a technique was developed to isolate and grow embryonic stem cells from human blastocysts. In 2006, induced pluripotent stem cells were produced for the first time from mouse cells and in 2007 there were produced from human cells. Furthermore, it was not until 2008 that the first full transplant of a human organ grown from adult stem cells was performed (a section of trachea was successfully transplanted into an adult woman in Spain).

The past 10 years have also witnessed the production of piPSCs, R-NSCs, and VSELs. Together, this evidence suggests that additional types of stem cells will likely be discovered, each representing new opportunities for research product development. Clearly, laboratory research into stem cell derivation, manipulation, and application is rapidly expanding.

To facilitate research resulting from these advances, a large and diverse stem cells products market has emerged. Large companies selling stem cell research products include Life Technologies, BD Biosciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and EMD Millipore, as well as over one-hundred other suppliers.

As of 2012, the following product categories accounted for more than 95% of all global stem cell product sales:

• Antibodies to stem cell antigens
• Bead-based stem cell separation systems
• Stem cell protein purification and analysis tools
• Tools for DNA and RNA-based characterization of stem cells
• Stem cell culture and media
• Stem cell specific growth factors and cytokines
• Tools for stem cell gene regulation
• Stem cell services and mechanisms for in vivo and in vitro stem cell tracking
• Stem cell lines

Furthermore, to sell products into the stem cell market, it is critical to understand the research applications for which stem cells being studied. One area of study is the use of stem cells to understand and treat birth disorders. However, of greater interest to researchers is the potential for use of stem cells in regenerative medicine to treat conditions ranging from diabetes, to cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders.

For pharmaceutical companies, they have intense interest in the ability to use stem cells to improve drug target validation and toxicology screening. Furthermore, it is important for bio-pharmaceutical interested in stem cell therapy applications to understand underlying market forces, and in particular, to consider progressive areas of stem cell research as opportunistic areas for drug and therapy development. This report presents a range of topics of interest to these companies as well, including how advances in stem research can reveal potential new drug targets, improve methods of drug delivery, and provide personalized treatment strategies.

To summarize, the four key areas that account for more than 90% for all applied stem cell research, as of 2012, include:

• Understanding and Treatment of Birth Disorders - Natal repair
• Regenerative Medicine - Reversal of injury or disease
• Drug Target Validation and Drug Delivery - Treatment of disease
• Toxicology Screening - Drug safety and efficacy assessment

Furthermore, it is crucial for stem cell companies to understand the funding environment that supports stem cell research. Currently, the U.S. federal government is an important, although not dominant, source of funding for stem cell research. The reason is that U.S. states are spending almost as much as the federal government on stem cell research and are actually spending more than the federal government on human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research. Private sources also contribute a huge about of funding, with analysis of recent large gifts summing to over $1.7 billion.

Growth in stem cell research has exploded in the past decade. And so the market to supply stem cell research products has grown to meet this huge demand. There are now over one million stem cell researchers in 179 countries worldwide. In addition, there were only 17 stem cell product companies as of 2006 and that has expanded to more than 100 today, a 6-fold increase.

Not surprisingly, trend analysis reveals rapid increases in stem cell research activity over the past five years, specifically a scientific publication rate increase of 10.4% per year.

The stem cell types with the greatest year-to-year increases in publication rates over a trailing five-year period include:

• Mesenchymal stem cells
• Neural stem cells
• Induced pluripotent stem cells

While hematopoietic and embryonic stem cells represent two of the most active areas of stem cell research, at 35.2% and 22.9% of total stem cell research respectively, publication rates for these stem cell types have declined in recent years. Because research activity by stem cell type has shown divergent trends over the past few years, for research product companies to be successful, they will need to understand underlying trends in stem cell preferences, by cell type.

This market intelligence report will advantageously position your company to offer competitive stem products to a rapidly growing, well-funded research community. Highlights of this report include:

• Charts, Timelines, Metrics, and Financials
• Rates of Stem Cell Grants, Publications, and Patents
• Market Characterization and 5-Year Projections
• Breakdown of Research Activity by Application, Species, Tissue Source
• Geographical Assessment of Market Demand
• Competitive Environment Analysis, by Product Supplier
• Recent Product Evolution and Unmet Market Needs
• Key Survey Findings from Your Prospective Clients – Stem Cell Scientists
• End-User Wants, Technical Preferences, Factors Influencing Buying Decisions
• And Much More

A key element of this report is a survey of stem cell researchers, for the U.S. and worldwide. This survey reveals critical findings that include:

• Prevalence of Stem Cell Research by Cell Type
• Stem Cell Product Preferences
• Most Commonly Utilized Stem Cell Markers, by Stem Cell Type
• Most Commonly Utilized Stem Cell Antibodies, by Stem Cell Type
• Preferred Providers of Stem Cell Antibodies
• And Much More

The market intelligence contained in this report was compiled using a broad range of sources, including:

• Stem Cell Grant Funding Databases (NIH database, DoD database)
• Stem Cell Patent Databases (USPTO)
• Stem Cell Publication Databases (PubMed, Highwire Press)
• Stem Cell Product Launch Announcements (Trade Journals, Google News)
• International Surveys (Electronically distributed end-user surveys)
• And More

In summary, there is conclusive evidence that entering the stem cell research products market is fiscally worthwhile. Full-year 2011 analysis determines the size the stem cell research products market to be $2.59 billion, and the stem cell therapies market to be $3.13 billion, for a total of $5.72 billion. In addition, both markets are growing with double-digit growth. Producing stem cell research products thus represents a massive profit opportunity for research supply companies.

Producing stem cell products can involve complicated and confusing decisions, but it doesn't have to. Claim this report to reveal the current and future needs of your customer base, so you can focus your marketing efforts on the most profitable products, in the most promising research areas and within the most lucrative domestic and international markets.