Released May 2020, this 251 page market report features market size data with detailed segmentation and 5-year projections (2020-2024).
Stem cells are primitive cells found in all multi-cellular organisms that are characterized by self-renewal and the capacity to differentiate into mature cell types.
There are now hundreds of companies developing stem cell research products — many of which are serving companies involved in the management of the largest pandemic in modern history.
The rising demand of stem cell research products is being driven by:
- The use of stem cells in the treatment of COVID-19 complications, such as immune and respiratory complications
- Promise of MSCs for ameloriating COVID-induced respiratory distress, such as ARDS
- Accelerated pathways for regulatory approvals during COVID-19
- Surging funding for stem cell research due to support from BARDA, CIRM, NIAID, and other groups
- Increased interest among pharmaceutical companies in stem cell R&D programs related to COVID-19
- Potential for stem cells to support the management of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Globally, the healthcare industry is trying to use every weapon in its armory to suppress the threat from the COVID-19 virus, including cord tissue-derived MSCs, iPS cells, amniotic fluid and placental derived components, exosomes, and more.
Stem Cell Research and Experimentation
Stem cell research has been in process for well over five decades, as stem cells have the unique ability to divide and replicate repeatedly. In addition, their “unspecialized” nature allows them to differentiate into a wide variety of specialized cell types. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the specialized embryonic tissues. In adult organisms, stem and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing specialized cells.
Several broad categories of stem cells exist, including:
- Embryonic stem cells, derived from blastocysts
- Perinatal stem cells, obtained during the period immediately before and after birth
- Adult stem cells, found in adult tissues
- Induced pluripotent stem cells, produced by genetically reprogramming adult cells
- Cancer stem cells, which give rise to clonal populations of cells that form tumors or disperse in the body
The possibilities arising from stem cells have resulted in great commercial interest, with potential applications ranging from their use in the reversal and treatment of disease, to cell therapy, tissue regeneration, bioprinting, drug discovery, toxicology testing, and more.
Traditionally, scientists have worked with both embryonic and adult stem cells as research tools. While the appeal of embryonic cells has been their ability to differentiate into any type of cell, there has been significant ethical, moral, and spiritual controversy surrounding their use for research purposes. Although some adult stem cells do have differentiation capacity, it is often limited in nature, which results in fewer options for use. Thus, when induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) were discovered in 2006 by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan, they represented a promising combination of adult and embryonic stem cell characteristics.
Today, scientists leverage stem cell research products for a wide range of basic and applied applications. Clinical researchers are integrating stem cells into a diverse range of regenerative medicine applications. The pharmaceutical industry is leveraging stem cell products to conduct pharmacological testing on cell-specific tissues. The tissue engineering community is combining stem cell products with engineering methods to replace or regenerate biological tissues. Cell therapy CDMOs require a complex range of stem cell products to support their manufacturing processes.
There is also accelerating demand for extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from stem cells, because they can act as intercellular messengers and may be able to exert therapeutic effects.
To facilitate research resulting from interest in these far-ranging applications, a large and rapidly growing market for stem cells research products has emerged.
Broad categories of stem cell research products include, but are not limited to:
- Stem cell lines (such as iPSCs, MSCs, HSCs, NSCs, and ESCs)
- Stem cell culture media with supplements
- Consumables
- Instruments
- Stem cell services
Specifically, the following represent common stem cell product types:
- Stem cell lines
- Stem cell culture media and reagents
- Stem cell specific growth factors and cytokines
- Primary antibodies to stem cell antigens
- Bead-based stem cell separation systems
- Fluorescent-based labeling and detection
- Stem cell protein purification and analysis tools
- Tools for DNA and RNA-based characterization of stem cells
- Isolation/characterization services
- Tools for stem cell gene regulation
- Mechanisms for in vivo and in vitro stem cell tracking
- Expansion/differentiation services for stem cell media and RNAi
- Done-for-you or done-with-you services
With market competition growing increasingly fierce, leading competitors within the sector include:
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
- BD Biosciences, a Division of Becton Dickinson (BD)
- Merck KGaA
- Miltenyi Biotec
- STEMCELL Technologies
- Lonza Group
- Takara Bio
- GE Healthcare Life Sciences
- FUJIFILM CDI
- Sigma Aldrich
Furthermore there are many specialty vendors of stem cell research products. Examples of this include FUJIFILM CDI, ReproCELL and Ncardia (who specialize in iPSC-related products), RoosterBio (who specializes in human MSC-specific products), and Corning (who specializes in Matrigel® products to support pluripotent stem cell culture and cultureware).
Furthermore, hundreds of companies that produce products to support the activities of stem cell scientists worldwide. The tools commercialized by these companies include those to isolate, expand, culture, differentiate, and characterize stem cells, as well as technologies to enable their production at any scale.
Key report findings include:
- Stem cell research applications, including priorities by segment
- Relative demand for stem cell products, by stem cell type
- Analysis of stem cell manufacturing technologies, including costs, risks, and efficiencies
- The commercial impact of contact manufacturing organizations (CMOs)
- Analysis of market trends, including opportunities and threats
- Market share for leading industry competitors
- Company profiles for 128 market participants composing the global market
- Market size determinations with detailed segmentation and 5-year projections (2020-2024)
BioInformant, Specializing in the Stem Cell Industry
This global strategic report was produced by BioInformant, a U.S. based market research firm with 14+ years of industry experience. As the first and only market research firm to specialize in the stem cell industry, BioInformant research has been cited by the Wall Street Journal, Xconomy, and Vogue Magazine. Headquartered in Washington, DC, BioInformant is strategically positioned near industry lawmakers, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. FDA, and the Maryland Biotech Corridor.
Use this report to reveal emerging market opportunities, identify new product development opportunities before your competition, and make smarter decisions, faster.
Click here to view the full report, “Stem Cell Research Products – Opportunities, Tools, and Technologies.” 
What questions do you have about the role of stem cell research products in the global COVID-19 pandemic? Ask them in the comments below.