Chromatography Consumables Market (2020-2027)

The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted healthcare markets. To combat this pandemic, several COVID-19 therapeutics, diagnostic products, and vaccines are under clinical studies, for which the demand for various reference materials, including chromatography consumables, has been increased. For instance, as of September 2020, there are ~596 therapeutics and 179 vaccines under development (Source: BioWorld).

Collaborations among the market players are accelerating amid the COVID-19 pandemic for supporting the development of therapeutics, diagnostic products, and vaccines. For instance, in February 2021, RotaChrom Technologies LLC (Hungary) collaborated with CycloLab Cyclodextrin Research and Development Ltd. (Hungary) to combine its scalable Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) technology with Cyclolab’s knowledge and experience with cyclodextrins to enhance the production of COVID-19 treatment.

In September 2020, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Switzerland) introduced chromatography immunoassay-based SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test, with a distribution partnership with SD BIOSENSOR (Korea). Such strategic developments are expected to generate the demand for chromatography consumables. Further, researchers worldwide are employing analytical techniques like chromatography to understand the virus morphology to find an effective cure. For instance,

• A paired chromatography-mass spectrometry method compared difluoroacetic acid (DFA) and formic acid (FA) modified mobile phases and demonstrated that the DFA enhanced method achieved better resolution of the less abundant proteoforms. This study demonstrated that more detailed analytical data on structural elements of the SARS-CoV-2 virus could be obtained by modifying chromatographic methods, further developing improved therapeutics and vaccines.
• In June 2020, liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used to quantify remdesivir (antiviral medicine used for treating COVID-19). Six different samples of drug-free plasma were also analyzed in the study.

Thus, the growing research related to COVID-19 using chromatography to understand the virus and develop better therapies, vaccines, and diagnostic tools is expected to drive market growth.

Increasing collaborations between academia and industry players support market growth

Pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and biotechnological research is a complex arena, as fewer medicines are launched despite extensive research. Thus, to solve this problem, pharmaceutical companies are collaborating with third-party players to gain access to an enlarged set of skills and technologies, such as novel drug targets, validation of targets, signal transduction pathway know-how, animal models, disease expertise, translational medicine know-how, and new biomarkers. In April 2020, the University of Oxford (U.K.) announced a strategic partnership with AstraZeneca Plc. (U.K.) for the development and large-scale distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.

These academia-industry collaborations are expected to drive research studies in academic & research institutes. This is projected to accelerate the demand for various analytical techniques and consumables, including chromatography instruments and related consumables among academic institutions. Chromatography consumables are used for various applications, including Metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics. Consumable manufacturers are increasingly partnering with academic/research institutions to provide suitable products and services. For instance:

• In December 2020, Waters Corporation (U.S.) collaborated with Dr. Sunghwan Kim of Kyungpook National University (South Korea) to use its SELECT SERIES CYCLIC IMS system to investigate compounds in complex mixtures, such as petroleum and advanced materials used in electronics.
• In November 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.) entered into a collaborative agreement with Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory (BATL) at Northeastern University (U.S.) to advance analytical capabilities by using Thermo Fisher's leading ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) technology.
• In October 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.) extended its strategic collaboration with Symphogen A/S (Denmark) to utilize its analytical & chromatographic capabilities to develop, test, and routinely implement platform workflows for intact and native mass analysis of therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) mixtures.
• In September 2020, Waters Corporation (U.S.) established Immerse Cambridge, a new Waters' research laboratory in Cambridge’s Kendall Square. The laboratory will be used for innovation, discovery, and accelerating the next generation of scientific advancements.
• In January 2020, PerkinElmer Inc. (U.S.) collaborated with Emerald Scientific (U.S.) to utilize its high throughput, advanced instruments, and regulatory compliant software for cannabis and hemp testing.

Accelerated R&D in the area of proteomics is expected to create several opportunities for market growth

In the past decade, there has been an increase in proteomics-based studies, mainly due to technological advancements and the need to understand the molecular bases of various diseases. Proteomics is used to identify proteins, structure functions, and respective modifications in various research areas, mainly medical research and drug discovery & diagnostics.

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has led to an increase in proteomics research. For instance, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was deemed the most reliable method to detect the viral genes in COVID-19-positive patients. Though this method is widely established, there exist problems in its performance. Due to the potent mutability of the viral genes, the technique might not be sensitive enough to detect the virus if it has mutated. Furthermore, RT-PCR tends to exhibit low throughput due to intermediate and long reaction times.

Thus, the growth in proteomics studies is expected to increase the use of chromatography consumables suitable for protein studies, thereby driving the market’s growth.