Global Microcarrier Market Size, Share, Opportunities, And Trends By Product Type (Equipment, Consumables, Reagents, Microcarrier Beads, Others), By Application (Biopharmaceutical Production, Cell And Gene Therapy, Others), By End Users (Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies, Research Institutes, Contract Research Organizations), And By Geography - Forecasts From 2024 To 2029

The microcarrier market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.55% during the forecast period to reach US$1,989.084 million by 2029, up from US$925.914 million in 2022.

Microcarriers are microscopic beads or spheres used to increase the surface area in tissue culture for the attachment and yield of anchorage-dependent cells and act as a support matrix, which allows the growth of adherent cells in bioreactors. Microcarriers are extensively used in the large-scale commercial production of biologics and vaccines to grow virus-generating or protein-producing adherent cell populations. The growth in the microcarriers market may be attributed to the rapid growth in the biologics and biosimilar industries.

Rising demand for cell-based vaccines, along with technological advancements, will positively impact the market for microcarriers. However, the high cost of cell biologics and cell-based therapies might hamper the market growth during the given forecast period. Growth limitations of high-density microcarrier cultures will also restrain the microcarrier’s market growth during the anticipated period. Further, the microcarrier market is segmented into product, application, end-user, and geography.  

Market Drivers:

• The Microcarriers market will grow due to the rising demand for cell-based vaccines.

Due to the growing number of new virus outbreaks such as influenza, monkeypox, Ebola, and COVID-19, among others, the demand for vaccines is increasing globally, consequently increasing the demand for microcarriers in the market and supporting the microcarrier market growth during the forecast period. For instance, the World Health Organization’s Disease Outbreak News (DONs), which provided confirmed acute public health events of potential events of concern, reported an Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 2022.

The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared the outbreak following the confirmed laboratory test via RT-PCR in a fatal case in Beni Health Zone, North Kivu Province. During the same period, Uganda also witnessed a confirmed 18 cases as of 25th September 2022 Ebola virus, which were caused by the Sudan Virus. Such increasing cases of infectious diseases and the growing risk of pandemics are the prime factors driving the demand for vaccines worldwide. Further, many organizations are putting efforts into developing vaccines for the rising disease. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mentions in its Vaccine Considerations summary, updated in September 2022, that the JYNNEOS vaccine is approved for the prevention of monkeypox and smallpox diseases.

Further, the ACAM2000 Vaccines has been approved for immunization against smallpox which is made available for use against monkeypox under Expanded Access Investigational New Drug protocol, mentions the CDC.   The microcarrier market is expected to be dominated by the North American region, which is expected to hold a significant share of the Microcarrier market. The rising research and development activities, gene therapies, and biologics, coupled with technological advancement and investment in cell-based research in countries like the US.  

Additionally, the prevalence of established pharmaceutical companies, who continually work to expand their geographic reach and promote the widespread marketing of their vaccines, is anticipated to spur market expansion in this region. Moreover, this region will grow due to the increased need for immunizations during pandemics. due to the rise in the prevalence of infectious and cancerous illnesses.

On the other hand, Europe holds the second largest share of the microcarrier market during the anticipated period owing to the increasing number of leading firms in the market and growing usage of technical innovations. It is anticipated that increased R&D utilization will enhance product development and market demand in this region.

Key Developments:

• October 2023- Thermo Fisher Scientific introduced the Gibco CTS Detachable Dynabeads, a platform with an active release mechanism for cell therapy manufacturing. The Gibco CTS Detachable Dynabeads CD3/CD28 Kit offers one-step isolation and activation but allows for the release of CTS Dynabeads magnetic beads from target cells at any point in the process. The kit contains an active release buffer enclosed in a CTS DynaCellect Magnetic Separation System-compatible bioprocess container, allowing for the active detachment of target cells from the beads through a competitive binding mechanism after isolation and magnetic separation.
• October 2023- Kuraray Co., Ltd. developed PVA hydrogel microcarriers for cell cultures in regenerative medicine. These scaffolding materials are damage-resistant, debris-free, and safe for efficient cell culturing. When PVA hydrogel microcarriers are introduced into bioreactors for mass cell culture, these microcarriers allow cells to adhere and proliferate, facilitating efficient detachment and recovery. They are also safe, have been verified, and exhibit higher cell culture efficiency.
• June 2023- Teijin Frontier developed new nonwoven microcarriers for efficient and large-scale cell culture. These scaffolding materials facilitate adherence and growth in three dimensions for various cell types. The nonwoven microcarriers combine Teijin Frontier's proprietary fiber process and nonwoven design technology with fiber-related bio-medical expertise from Professor Satoshi Fujita at the University of Fukui's Department of Frontier Fiber Technology and Science.
• March 2023- Dai Nippon Printing Co. and Hyperion Drug Discovery developed soluble microcarriers for cell culture in regenerative medicine. These microcarriers serve as scaffolding agents in cell culture processes, including cell and gene-based products, exosomes, biopharmaceuticals, and cultured meat. This approach reduces the number of work processes and allows for efficient large-scale cell culture compared to traditional two-dimensional cultures.

Company Products:

• SoloHill® Microcarrier Starter Kit- Sartorius AG's SoloHill® Microcarrier Starter Kit is a 10-gram kit containing six different types of SoloHill® microcarriers, both protein-coated and non-coated, for specific cell types. This low-cost solution accelerates microcarrier evaluation, allowing for the selection of the optimal microcarrier type for specific applications, ensuring optimal cell attachment and growth.
• HarvestainerTM Microcarrier Separation system- Thermo Fisher Scientific offers the HarvestainerTM Microcarrier Separation system, which is an ideal solution for the separation of microcarrier beads during adherent cell culture production. It is an ideal system for smaller-scale as well as larger-scale applications for in-line microcarrier separation. In comparison to conventional procedures, the system helps to boost product yields while lowering the need for clean-in-place, steam-in-place, and water for injection.
• Corning® Microcarriers- Corning incorporated offers Corning® Microcarriers for Bioprocess scale-up that are designed to simplify the scale-up processes. The microcarriers are provided in closed systems packaging, are sterile, and are prepared for use with bioreactors. The microcarriers are additionally surface-treated to improve cell adhesion and increase cell production and survival.

Market Segments:

• By Product Type
  • Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Reagents
  • Microcarrier Beads
  • Others
• By Application
  • Biopharmaceutical Production
  • Cell and gene therapy
  • Others
• By End-Users
  • Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology Companies
  • Research Institutes
  • Contract Research Organizations
• By Geography
  • North America
    • USA
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Others
  • Europe
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • France
    • Spain
    • Others
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • UAE
    • Israel
    • Others
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • Indonesia
    • Others