Blood irradiation is a therapy in which blood components are irradiated prior to transfusion, to prevent proliferation of certain types of T lymphocytes. These T lymphocytes inhibit the immune responses and can cause a rare graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) with serious complication due to blood transfusion caused by white blood cells. A small number of white blood cells can recognize the different blood in the body which may cause serious illness or death.

Irradiated blood is treated with UV, X-rays or other forms of radioactive methods. Blood irradiation treated with UV rays is beneficial to cancer patients as it strengthens the immune system and improves overall health.

Ultraviolet rays restrain viral, bacterial, and fungal growth and improves the body’s ability to detoxify and inactive toxins, which can further assist in the other cancer treatments. Based on this technique, three types of blood irradiation are available in the market i.e. intravenous laser blood irradiation, transcutaneous laser blood irradiation, and extracorporeal blood irradiation.

Global Blood Irradiation Market Dynamics

Increasing global population vulnerable to various communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure disease, stroke and cardiovascular diseases, which is expected to drive the global blood irradiation market growth. For instance, according to the World Bank’s 2016 report, the global population reached up to 7.44 billion.

According to a report by World Health Organization (WHO) 2018, non-communicable diseases cause around 41 million deaths each year, which is equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally. Also, cardiovascular diseases account for 17.9 million deaths each year, followed by other respiratory diseases (3.9 million), diabetes (1.6 million), and cancer (9.0 million) respectively. Such increasing prevalence of non- communicable diseases boosts demand for quicker blood stream treatment, which in turn is expected to significantly propel growth of the blood irradiation market.

Infections in the blood stream are diagnosed and irradiated by laser irradiation therapies. Increasing use of such therapies is driving manufacturers to develop innovative blood irradiation systems for improved health treatments, which is directly boosting the market growth. For instance, in 2017 thriveMD, a U.S.-based company, introduced ultraviolet blood irradiation (UVB) therapy, which is a photo-oxidation treatment that briefly exposes a sample of the blood to ultraviolet light.

However, regulatory policies regarding the medical systems and lack of skilled professionals in emerging economies are likely to hamper the market growth. For instance, The Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) regulates the collection of blood and blood components used for transfusion, CBER develops and enforces quality standards, inspects blood establishments and monitors reports of errors, accidents and adverse clinical events.

Global Blood Irradiation Market – Regional Insights

Based on the region, the global blood irradiation market is segmented into North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. North America accounted for the dominant position in the blood irradiation market, owing to growing awareness among the population regarding blood related diseases and launch of new innovative technology in the field of healthcare.

For instance, in 2017, Typenex Medical launched Rad-Control, a new irradiation indicator tag technology for blood centers and blood banks in Canada and the U.S. This checks blood irradiation by visual verification, minimizes current documentation practices, and increases efficiency for healthcare staff.

Asia Pacific is expected to show significant growth in the global blood irradiation market followed by Europe. Rising population vulnerable to various chronic diseases and government involvement in maintaining safety standards for new product launches is expected to propel the blood irradiation market growth in the region. For instance, in 2015, UVLrx Therapeutics received CE Marking (European Conformity) for its intravenous UV light therapy device, that offers intravenous, concurrent delivery of ultraviolet-A (UVA), and multiple visible light wavelengths.

Global Blood Irradiation Market – Competitive Landscape

Major players operating in the global blood irradiation market include Typenex Medical, UVLrx Therapeutics, Best Theratronics, Hitachi Medical Systems, Actemium NDT-PES, Rad Source Technologies, and Gilardoni S.p.A. Market players are engaged in adopting strategies such as mergers, collaborations, new product launches, and partnerships to retain their position in the market. For instance, in 2017 Typenex Medical exclusively partnered with a European manufacturer- On Point Indicators GmbH, to offer its product to customers.

Global Blood Irradiation Market Taxonomy

On the basis of type: