GLOBAL IN VITRO LUNG MODEL MARKET SIZE AND SHARE ANALYSIS - GROWTH TRENDS AND FORECASTS (2023 - 2030)

The global in vitro lung model market size is expected to reach US$ 620.5 Mn by 2030, from US$ 245.0 Mn in 2023, exhibiting a CAGR of 14.2% during the forecast period.

In vitro lung models are platforms developed using human lung cells, tissues, or organs for drug screening and disease modeling. They serve as an affordable alternative to animal testing by accurately mimicking human lung physiology and pathology. Commonly used in vitro lung models include 2D cell cultures, microfluidic models, and organoids.

Global In Vitro Lung Model Market- Regional Insights

• North America is expected to be the largest market for in vitro lung model during the forecast period, accounting for over 35.7% of the market share in 2023. North America has firmly established itself as the dominating region in the global in vitro lung model market. The region is home to the majority of key players in this domain who have been investing heavily in R&D to develop advanced 3D lung models. With strong industry presence of pharma and biotech companies who are important clients for lung models, the demand continues to remain high in the region. The regulatory environment also supports continued research and development of new models. Strict safety and efficacy guidelines by regulatory bodies have increased the need for companies to validate new drugs using sophisticated lung models before clinical trials.
• Asia Pacific market is expected to be the second-largest market for in vitro lung model, accounting for over 25.2% of the market share in 2023. Asia Pacific region has emerged as the fastest growing market for in vitro lung models globally. The region represents an untapped potential for market players and is witnessing increasing focus on setting up manufacturing and distribution networks. China and India owing to their large population and growing healthcare expenditure are key focus markets. Expanding biosimilar manufacturing capabilities in these countries have further boosted demand. Additionally, import of these highly technical models was restricted till recently due to stringent trade policies of these developing nations. However, with relaxing of regulations, many local smaller companies have started importing cost-effective models for their internal research work from global suppliers which is propelling the market growth. Overall increasing R&D investment, presence of contract research organizations and rising adoption of 3D tissue models for preclinical activities are some of the factors spurring faster market growth of in vitro lung models in the Asia Pacific region.
• Europe market is expected to be the fastest-growing market for In vitro lung model, with a share of 19% during the forecast period. The growth of the market in Europe is attributed to the increasing research and development activities in the region.

Figure 1. Global In Vitro Lung Model Market Share (%), By Region, 2023

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Analyst View: The global in vitro lung model market has strong growth potential over the next five years. The increasing research in pulmonary diseases and drug development is a major driver as these models provide reliable and affordable alternatives to animal testing. However, limitations in simulating native lung physiology and complex lung microenvironment pose a challenge to widespread adoption. North America is expected to continue dominating the market supported by presence of leading players, rising research funding, and high disease prevalence. Asia Pacific is likely to be the fastest growing region due to rising healthcare spending, expanding biotech industry and growing contract research organizations.

Global In Vitro Lung Model Market- Drivers

• Rising prevalence of lung diseases: The in vitro lung model market is witnessing significant growth owing to the rising prevalence of various respiratory diseases across the globe. Lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis etc. have emerged as major public health concerns over the past few decades. For instance, according to World Health Organization, Report 2022, asthma currently affects over 300 million people worldwide and is one of the most common chronic diseases among children. On the other hand, COPD is projected to be the third leading cause of death by 2020. Continued exposure to risk factors like rising air pollution levels, growing tobacco consumption, aging population etc. are contributing to the increasing burden of respiratory illnesses.

In vitro lung models are increasingly being utilized by pharmaceutical companies and research institutes to develop better treatment options and gain deeper insights into lung physiology and pathologies. They provide researchers with an alternative to animal models for conducting experimental disease studies and drug development initiatives in a more ethical and cost-effective manner. Various lung cell types and 3D tissue constructs available as in vitro lung models help mimic human lung architecture and recreate human lung diseases closely. This enables researchers to better understand disease mechanisms, screen drug candidates, and study drug toxicity and efficacy before moving to clinical trials. With the alarming rise in lung diseases, development of effective therapies has become an important clinical need that is fueling the adoption of in vitro lung modeling approaches.

• Strong R&D focus on developing personalized medicine solutions: There is a growing emphasis on the development of personalized therapeutic interventions for better disease management and improved patient outcomes. Lung cancer in particular is recognized as one of the candidates suitable for personalized medicine given the molecular diversity observed in tumor types. Drug development is moving towards more targeted therapeutic strategies with a focus on precision medicine. At the same time, regulatory agencies are also encouraging more patient-specific approaches and biomarkers for drug approval. In vitro lung modeling provides an avenue to replicate tumor heterogeneity and patient variability more closely which is important for personalized therapy assessment and selection.

3D bioprinting and organ-on-chip technology have enabled more advanced in vitro lung models with improved architectural and physiological fidelity. Disease models can be customized to reflect specific patient mutation profiles or cellular subtypes. Such complex models offer advantages over conventional 2D cell culture for personalized drug screening, tumor response prediction as well as biomarker identification. Many pharmaceutical companies are actively collaborating with academic labs to develop 3D bioprinted organoid or disease-specific models for advancing precision medicine goals. As interest grows around personalized care, refined in vitro techniques will remain crucial to evaluate tailored treatment approaches before clinical use, thereby driving growth in the lung model market.

• Increasing Focus on Modeling Complex Lung Diseases: Lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis and cancer pose major health challenges due to their complexity and limited treatment options. Researchers have long relied on animal models to study lung physiology and pathology, but these often fail to accurately mimic the complexity of human lung conditions. There is a growing need to develop alternative approaches that can better model human lung tissue architecture, cellular biology, mechanical stresses and microenvironmental cues involved in various diseases. Advanced in vitro 3D lung models show great promise in addressing this need by reconstituting multiple cell types and lung tissue components in a controlled setting. Their application allows complex cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions to be recreated and analyzed outside the living body. This provides deep insights not possible with 2D lung cell cultures or animal models alone. As funding into lung disease research increases, the focus on utilizing sophisticated in vitro models will amplify significantly. Their development is critical to advance understandings of disease mechanisms and accelerate discovery of effective diagnostics and therapies.

Global In Vitro Lung Model Market- Opportunities

• Rising Healthcare Expenditure: One of the significant factors influencing the growth rate of the global In vitro lung model market is the growing healthcare expenditure, which helps in improving its infrastructure. For instance, according to the International Health Care System of the U.S., in June 2020, the U.S. government organizations aim to improve the healthcare infrastructure by increasing funding, setting legislation and national strategies, and cofounding and setting basic requirements and regulations for the Medicaid program. Similarly, in November 2022, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported that the total health spending in Canada was US$ 331 billion in 2022, or US$ 8,563 per Canadian, while health expenditure represented 12.2% of Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022, following a high of 13.8% in 2020.
• Growing preference for 3D lung models over 2D models: The global in vitro lung model market is witnessing significant growth over the past few years. There is a growing preference among pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies for 3D lung models over conventional 2D models for drug discovery and toxicology testing. 3D organoid models better mimic the complex human physiology and microenvironment of the lungs compared to simplistic 2D cultures grown on plastic supports. This high physiological relevance enables more predictive and translatable testing of new drugs and chemicals.

Many studies have shown that 3D lung models capture intercellular interactions and responses more accurately. For example, a 2021 study published in PLOS Biology compared responses of 2D and 3D bronchial epithelial models to SARS-CoV-2 infection. It found that the 3D model better replicated the multi-layered tissue architecture of human lungs and showed elevated expression of COVID-19 infection-related genes similar to patient bronchial samples. Such evidence highlighting the improved biological fidelity and predictive value of 3D models is driving many companies to replace traditional 2D methods with these advanced alternatives.

In conclusion, the realistic physiology offered by 3D in vitro lung models provides significant advantages over conventional 2D assays. Their ability to better emulate human lung tissue at structural and functional levels is elevating the predictive value of research and driving increased demand, ensuring continued high growth for this specialized market segment in the coming years.

Global In Vitro Lung Model Market - Trend

• Combination of multiple organ systems on a single chip: The global In vitro lung model market is indeed observing an upward trend in the online purchase of medications. There are several factors contributing to this increase, which present both opportunities and challenges for market participants:
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Global In Vitro Lung Model Market - Restraints

• High costs associated with animal models: One of the major restraints of the In Vitro Lung Model Market is the high costs associated with using animal models for lung research and testing. Maintaining animal facilities and compliance with regulations involves significant financial investments. Animal experiments also have practical limitations like long duration and interspecies differences limiting translational potential.

The development and validation of in vitro alternatives can help reduce dependence on animal models, which is an expensive process. In vitro models still have limitations in accurately mimicking in vivo human physiology over long periods. This restrains complete replacement of animal models, which remain necessary for certain late-stage efficacy and safety studies. Overall research and development costs for setting up and validating new 3D bioprinted and organ-on-chip models also remain high currently.

• Technical challenges in replicating human lung complexity: Another key challenge is the technical difficulty associated with replicating the complex 3D architecture and multicellular physiological functionality of human lungs using in vitro techniques. The lung has a highly branched structure with over 40 different cell types organized in a porous and elastic manner. Exactly mimicking this level of anatomical and mechanical complexity using current tissue engineering approaches is immensely challenging.

Recreating the alveolar-capillary barrier, mucociliary clearance mechanisms, ventilation-perfusion coupling and lung-immune cell interactions still remains an area of active research. Similarly developing robust disease models accounting for multiple pathological factors also needs further progress. These technical limitations potentially restrain complete replacement of animal experimentation currently. Continued advances in areas like multi-material bioprinting, developmental biology principles and organoid engineering will be important to address this challenge.

In conclusion, while the in vitro lung model market is growing due to the rising disease burden and technology advances, high development costs and technical challenges limit complete substitution of animal models currently. Continued investments in research can help address limitations to realize the full potential of these alternatives.

Figure 2. Global In Vitro Lung Model Market Share (%), By Type, 2023

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Global In Vitro Lung Model Market- Recent Developments

Research and Development Activities

• The article titled "3D Lung-on-Chip Model Based on Biomimetically Microcurved Culture Membranes," released in May 2022, highlighted that traditional challenges in lung research, including the complex nature of lung structure, the difficulty in obtaining primary lung cells, and the struggle to preserve their specific functions in a lab setting, have impeded the creation of effective research platforms. These obstacles have been surmounted by advancements in in vitro modeling, which provide a capable alternative to conventional cellular sources. Consequently, these innovations are driving the progress of alternative models to animal testing.
• An article released in April 2021, titled "In Vitro Lung Models and Their Application to Study SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis and Disease," indicated that the in vitro lung model market experienced a profound impact as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rampant spread of SARS-CoV-2 catalyzed the advancement of in vitro lung models to explore the mechanisms of the virus's effects. Originally, market expansion was stymied by stringent lockdown measures, which imposed various limitations and led to a shortage of supplies. Nonetheless, as clinical research intensified and a deeper comprehension of the virus's pathophysiology emerged, the relevant market observed a notable uptick in growth.

Business Development Activities by the Market Players

• In May 2022, In May 2022, AlveoliX, a provider of in vitro solutions, entered a partnership with InSCREENeX, a biotechnology company. Under the partnership, InSCREENeX's cutting-edge CI-SCREEN methodology with AlveoliX's patented organ-on-chip technology will develop a new immortalized alveolar cell line, specially tuned for on-chip applications
• In December 2021, Lonza Group AG, a healthcare company, and Agilent Technologies, a life science and diagnostic company, announced a strategic collaboration aimed at integrating innovative analytical technologies with Lonza’s Cocoon Platform. This partnership seeks to advance the incorporation of existing and novel analytical methods into the manufacturing workflows of patient-scale cell therapies using the Cocoon Platform. By joining forces, these companies move forward in their dedication to creating sustainable technologies and solutions that enhance the availability of crucial cell-based therapies for diverse lung diseases.

Top Companies in Global In Vitro Lung Model Market

• Epithelix
• MATTEK
• Lonza
• Emulate
• AlveoliX AG
• Nortis
• CN Bio Innovations Ltd
• MIMETAS
• InSphero
• ATTC Global
• Tissuse GmbH
• Cn Bio Innovations Limited

Definition: In vitro lung models are experimental systems that mimic human lung tissues and structures outside of a living organism. There are two main types of in vitro lung models - cell-based and acellular models. Cell-based models utilize lung cells cultured on specially coated surfaces or in 3D scaffolds to replicate lung structures. They are more realistic as the cell-cell interactions and tissue level organization seen in vivo can be reproduced to some extent. Some commonly used cell-based models are alveolar, bronchiolar and pulmonary vascular models. Acellular models utilize engineered constructs without living cells. They are relatively simple and inexpensive but do not capture all the cellular responses.