A new report from Strategic Directions International (SDi), a business intelligence firm specializing in the analytical instrument market, finds that the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2024 and 2029 of demand in the cell and gene therapy (C&GT) market for seven categories of analytical technologies will expand in the high single digits. The technology categories covered in the report are: general techniques (PCR, cell analyzers, cell counters), gene therapy tools, transduction and transfection, cell enrichment, cell expansion–media, cell expansion–bioreactors and cryopreservation. The technologies in the report cover several stages of the C&GT process, including the isolation, modification and testing of genetic and cellular materials and the expansion and processing of cells. Among the markets experiencing the fastest growth in demand are CRISPR, viral vectors and automated cell processing systems.

Although many of the largest markets for CG&T tools are consumables, bioreactors are among the sizable categories of instrumentation. Bioreactors are used to grow and expand cells. For C&GT, applications include the production of cells to create viral vectors used to modify genetic materials and the expansion of modified cells for reinfusion into a patient.

The bioreactors market for CG&T is estimated at more than half a billion dollars. The market as defined in the report consists of single-use bioreactors, conventional bioreactors, single-use adherent bioreactors and microcarriers. Single-use bioreactors are the largest segment. Compared to conventional bioreactors, single-use bioreactors’ advantages include lower risk of contamination and suitability for decentralized manufacturing. Among the largest providers of single-use bioreactors are Cytiva (Danaher), MilliporeSigma and Thermo Fisher Scientifc. Companies that specialize in single-use bioreactors include GPC Bio, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies and Univercells Technologies (Donaldson).

The single-use bioreactor market can be broken down into two segments: suspension bioreactors and adherent bioreactors

The single-use bioreactor market can be broken down into two segments: suspension bioreactors and adherent bioreactors, depending on if the cells are grown in suspension or attached to a surface. Single-use suspension and single-use adherent bioreactor systems are estimated to each show CAGRs in the high single digits between 2024 and 2029, outpacing the growth in demand for conventional bioreactors. The single-use adherent bioreactor market is smaller than the market for single-use suspension systems. Single-use suspension systems are considered easier to operate and scale up.

Most of the largest bioreactor suppliers participate in both markets. Several smaller companies specialize in suspension systems. These companies include Distek, High Purity New England and PBS Biotech. A company serving only the adherent bioreactor market is Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies.

Adherent single-use bioreactor platforms include Corning’s Ascent and Pall’s (Danaher’s) iCELLis systems. Suspension single-use bioreactors include Thermo Fisher Scientific’s HyPerforma platform and Cytiva’s Xcellerex systems. New single-use suspension bioreactor systems coming to market in recent years include the 50 L and 250 L versions of Getinge’s Single-Use Production Reactor (SUPR) system. This year, Cytiva also launched larger-size systems, announcing in March the 500 L and 2000 L version of its Xcellerx X-platform. For lab scale, PBS Biotech announced this month the MiniPRO system, which comprises four 0.5 L bioreactors.

New single-use adherent bioreactor systems coming to market this year include Thermo Fisher Scientific’s 5L DynaDrive Single-Use Bioreactor (S.U.B.), its lowest-volume DynaDrive system. ABEC introduced in March the Advanced Therapy Bioreactor (ATB), which utilizes hollow-fiber membranes.

A long-established market, bioreactors have seen demand enter a new stage of growth due to single-use systems, expanding the available market for bioreactors in general and offering important advantages. These advantages will benefit the needs of the CG&T industry, such as flexibility and the move to decentralized sites, beyond major medical centers, in order to serve more patients.