Aptamer Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking - Global Market Insights 2020 to 2025

Aptamer Producers Cashing in on High Demand from Food and Beverage Sector

Advent of the chemical modification process to increase the nuclease resistance of aptamers, and, in turn, enhance their therapeutic properties creates opportunities galore for players in the aptamer market. This has also lead to steady increase in the demand for aptamers and related products from research institutions. Ongoing research & development activities have led to the adoption of aptamers, both, as drugs and drug-carriers, and their application as diagnostics tools is opening new growth avenues for manufacturers.

In future, the application of aptamers will meet an expanded scope in the food and beverage industry as biosensors to ensure the quality of products. On the back of such favourable factors, a recently published study by Fact.MR opines that, the aptamer market would progress at an impressive pace, at a CAGR of 21% during the forecast period (2020-2025).

Being a relatively novel technology, some characteristics of aptamers are still unexplored, which poses a technical challenge for manufacturers. Low molecular weight of these molecules causes rapid degradation of biological media and blood, which needs proper synthesis to keep unwanted characteristics of aptamers in check. However, manufacturers choose to avoid using these molecules, on the backdrop of lack of knowledge regarding aptamers and lack of technical expertise. Moreover, aptamers are found to have a short half-life (within the range of minutes to hours), which impedes the practical application of these molecules in the development of therapeutics.

SELEX Remains the Gold Standard Selection Technique in Aptamer Market

Continuous advancements in selection technique remain a critical lever to the growth of the aptamer market. The conventional Systemic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) technique included lengthy iterative steps, which would delay probe selection and further slowdown the selection process.

To offset this challenge, a key player-SOMALOGIC, INC.-introduced SOMAmer, which is a next-gen selection platform with the competency to extract high-quality aptamers for numerous applications. Given the progressive development, the SELEX technique is deemed suitable for the selection of aptamers. In 2020, the SELEX technique is estimated to account for 80% of the total market share, on the back of its competency to determine the binding site of a protein on RNA.

Additionally, with time-efficiency being the key to achieve better traction in the healthcare industry, numerous research organizations are investing in the development of cost- and time-effective selection approaches. In the future, the Magnetic-assisted Rapid Aptamer Selection (MARAS) and FRELEX methods are projected to witness high adoption, on account of their simplified enzymatic steps, which fast-tracks the selection process.

Lack of Universal Regulatory Guidelines Leading to Low Level of Awareness

Unlike other drugs and diagnostic tools, aptamers lack a standard regulatory standard for quality and safety. However, the approval process remains highly stringent in developed regions such as North America and Europe. For instance, there is a tedious documentation process for starting clinical trials for aptamers in Europe, but absence of oligonucleotide specific guidelines to validate their general quality requirements. On the other side of the world, in Asia Pacific and the Middle East & Africa, there is a low level of awareness regarding these molecules. On the backdrop of lack of universal regulatory norms, the penetration of aptamers in these regions is projected to remain limited to some extent.

Intense Research in North American Aptamer Market Catalysing its Growth

North America’s lead in the aptamer market is fuelled by the early-bird’s advantage of advanced technology that manufacturers are receiving in the region. Continuous progress in the research & development of therapeutics and diagnostics equipment undertaken by research institutes is projected to demand an ongoing supply of aptamers, thereby creating opportunities for players in the North American aptamer market space. In Europe, there has been a marked spike in awareness regarding health issues, which is imparting strength to the demand for effective diagnostic tools to detect infectious and chronic diseases. This will create opportunities for the aptamer market in Europe from the biotechnology industry.

Growth of the aptamer market in Asia Pacific is projected to remain significantly driven by collaborative efforts taken by players in developed regions to foray into the untapped market. Knowledge sharing of technologies and pharmaceutical know-hows among established players of North America and Europe and prominent/local players of Asia Pacific is projected to pave way for expansion of the aptamer market during the forecast period.