Microfluidic market

Microfluidics Market – Insights

Microfluidics is the technology that deals with the flow of liquids through microscopic channels such as chips, nozzles, and pumps. Microfluidics technology-based products control and manipulate the fluids at lowest dimensions from ten to hundreds micrometer. Microfluidics is based on the designing, manufacturing and formulation of devices and assays, which deal with extremely low volume of fluids usually in the range of microliters (10-6) to Pico liters (10-12).

The global microfluidics market is estimated to account for US$ 3,800.4 Mn in terms of value in 2018 and is expected to reach US$ 12,927.6 Mn by the end of 2027.

Global Microfluidics Market: Drivers

High incidence rate of lifestyle diseases is expected to propel growth of the global microfluidics market over the forecast period. For instance, according to the study, ‘Global Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes over the Next Ten Years (2018-2028)’, published by the American Diabetes Association, 500 million people worldwide suffered from type 2 diabetes in 2018.

Moreover, miniaturization, integration, and automation of precious complex chemical, biological, and physical assays is also expected to aid in growth of the market. Microfluidics system is an effective tool for biological and chemical assays, owing to its benefits such as less consumption of sample and reagents, minimization of analysis time, easy of automation, and permit to conduct parallel assays, which decreases the cost of the assays and time required. Furthermore, it has huge potential in next generation sequencing point-of-care diagnostic devices due to its cost effective manufacturing as well as high system integration and portability, which increases demand for microfluidics over the forecast period.

Europe region held dominant position in the global microfluidics market in 2018, accounting for 32.2% share in terms of value, followed by North America.

Global Microfluidics Market: Restraints

The healthcare research industry in developing countries is undergoing rapid changes. However, the lack of proper healthcare research infrastructure in emerging markets may restrain growth of the global microfluidics market. Moreover, lack of proper regulatory framework, improper development and implementation of clinical practice guidelines and dearth of skilled labors in the developing countries also has negative impact on growth of the market.

The high cost involved in R&D of microfluidics technology-based products and limited financial support has posed a great challenge to growth of the global microfluidics market. Moreover, long gestation times for R&D activities with the inclusion of clinical trials required to test the devices and chips adds up to significant expenditure. Hence, considering the current scenario, manufacturers need to be cautious and ensure investment in markets that would provide better return on investments.

Global Microfluidics Market: Opportunities

Increasing demand for point-of-care (PoC) instruments and kits to replace conventional technologies is expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities for players in the market. The PoC devices are based on the microfluidics technology. The healthcare industry is witnessing high adoption of lab-on-chip ‘PoC’ devices. The implementation PoC testing (POCT) has a significant impact on operational efficiency and patient care compared to conventional technologies

The use of bubbles as a substitute to mixers in microfluidics devices to overcome difficulties associated with the fabrication incorporated into the devices is also expected to aid in growth of the market. Conventional microfluidic mixers come in two varieties: passive and active. Passive mixers move fluids in or out of plane by using geometry of the system to create chaotic advection of the fluids where as active mixers can be controlled externally. Both have difficulties associated with their fabrication as passive mixers need two layers of fabrication and active mixers require additional and complicated micro fabrication. However, no additional fabrication is necessary when mixing with bubbles, which allows rapid and efficient mixing.

Ceramic material segment in the global microfluidics market was valued at US$ 1,447.4 Mn in 2018 and is expected to reach US$ 5,516.0 by 2027 at a CAGR of 16.0% during the forecast period.

Market Trends/Key Takeaways

Microfluidics is critical for maintaining the endogenous pairing of the heavy and light chains of immunoglobulins in antibody screening. This can be achieved by combining the use of emulsion droplet microfluidics with yeast single-chain variable fragment (scFv) display and molecular genomics.

Manufacturers are using plastic in microfluidics manufacturing. Replica molding using thermoset polyester, embossing, injection molding, and laser ablation are some of the different fabrication methods for disposable polymer microfluidic devices.

Value Chain Analysis

Global Microfluidics Market: Competitive Landscape

Major players operating in the global microfluidics market include, Agilent Technologies, PerkinElmer Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Qiagen NV, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Fluidigm Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Global Microfluidics Market: Key Developments

Players in the market are also focused on launching new products to expand their product portfolio. For instance, in January 2020, Nicoya, a healthtech startup, launched Alto, a fully-automated benchtop surface plasmon resonance (SPR) system, a laboratory instrument that integrates digital microfluidics, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology to measure the interactions between molecules in real-time without the use of labels.

In November 2019, MicroMedicine, Inc., a life sciences technology company, launched the Sorterra Cell Isolation System, an automated, microfluidics-based cell isolation technology at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Meeting.