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Nucleic Acid Testing Markets in Taiwan
Frost & Sullivan, June 2006
This Frost & Sullivan research service entitled Nucleic Acid Testing Markets in Taiwan gives an overview of the current status of the nucleic acid testing market in Taiwan and discusses present and potential revenues. The study also discusses the prevailing industry challenges and gives an overview of the reimbursement system and regulatory environment for NAT in Taiwan.
Market Sectors
Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:
By Application:
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
- RT-PCR
- Other Platforms
Technologies
The following technologies are covered in this research:
- Nucleic Acids: Various high molecular weight acids, such as DNA and RNA, found in all living cells as well as viruses and made up of nucleotide chains, which carry genetic information.
- Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT): Nucleic acid-based amplification test.
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): A revolutionary technology, which generates multiple copies of a specific nucleotide sequence from a target organism and able to detect trace elements of target organisms with high specificity. Applications include biological research, clinical diagnostics, forensics, and genetics.
- RT-PCR: Real-time measurement for PCR, through quantitative detection of specific nucleic acid sequences and permits accurate and informative measurements for DNA or RNA quantification. Real-time applications include measuring gene expression and detecting bacterial or viral load within samples.
- bDNA: Amplified detection of minute quantities of genetic material (DNA or RNA) and direct quantification of virus in serum or plasma. Distinct from PCR due to the measurement of the virus present through amplification of signals, rather than target sequences.
- Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA): Detection and measurement of an immune response in a solution. The presence of antigens or antibodies is verified and visualized with an application of tagged antibodies. It is generally less sensitive than nucleic acid-based amplification techniques.
- Ligase Chain Reaction (LCR): A technique for the detection of any defined DNA sequence by amplification of ligation products complementary to the target sequence. Similar to PCR, this method allows the detection of minute levels of known nucleic acid sequences.
- Nucleic Acid Sequence-based Amplification (NASBA): Alternative to PCR, whereby RNA or DNA is selectively amplified through continual amplification at a constant temperature.
- Strand Displacement Amplification (SDA): In contrast to other techniques, which rely on thermal cycling, SDA is an isothermal process (entire reaction is performed at a uniform temperature) that employs a series of primers, DNA polymerase, and a restriction enzyme to exponentially amplify the target nucleic acid sequence.
- Transcription Mediated Amplification (TMA): An isothermal RNA transcription amplification technique employing RNA polymerase and reverse transcriptase to drive the reaction. TMA can amplify either DNA or RNA, producing an RNA amplicon, in contrast to most other nucleic acid amplification methods that only produce DNA.
- Point-of-care Testing (POCT): Pathology investigation by or on behalf of the treating medical practitioner on-site. It is a diagnostic testing conducted close to the site where clinical care is delivered.
- Automation: Laboratory automation can be defined broadly as any device, software, or process that improves the efficiency of the laboratory.
- Integration: The act of integrating various automated tasks into a continuous process.
Market Overview
Healthcare Challenges among Growing Asian Economies help Create Growth Opportunities
The boom in economic growth among Asian countries is leading to considerable inequalities in healthcare provisions. In addition to the challenges of a rapidly increasing aged population, healthcare systems across the region are being confronted with the looming danger of infectious diseases As a result, there is an increasing need for fast and specific diagnosis and confirmation of diseases in order to control potential epidemics. This is paving the way for increased growth of the nucleic acid testing (NAT) markets in Asia. The threat of emerging infectious diseases such as avian flu and increasing disease burdens of HIV and tuberculosis are critical contributing factors to the growth opportunities in the NAT markets.
Conventional diagnostic methods such as cell culture, antibody testing, and even symptomatic diagnosis consume considerable time as compared to NAT. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test only takes 30 minutes to deliver results. It also requires minimal staff training and expertise due to its simple operations. Furthermore, data is verified with the included set of standards and a positive and negative control may also be further added. Constant improvements in technology have made NAT comparable to dip-sticks on the time front, thus making it a favored method of diagnosis, explains the analyst of this research service. In terms of sensitivity and specificity, NAT has a clear advantage over conventional immunoassay or serotyping, as it is not dependent on the operators personal judgment, and these inherent advantages are proving to be strong drivers for their increasing adoption throughout the region.
Increased Incidence and Prevalence of Infectious Disease Encourage the Adoption of NAT Technology
Since the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic and the food poisoning due to Norovirus in January 2004, a lot of attention has been focused on NAT methods in Singapore. For example, during the dengue epidemic in 2005, the healthcare industry had resorted to using NAT with promising outcomes. The SARS epidemic also provided an entry point for the increased penetration of NAT technology into the markets in China and Hong Kong, where research projects are primarily focused on the study of infectious diseases using NAT. In Malaysia, viral and bacterial diseases are the key revenue drivers for the NAT market and dengue fever, tuberculosis, HIV, and viral hepatitis were the diseases with highest incidences in 2005.
Considering the limitation in funding as well as the transition time needed to fully adopt NAT into existing practices, the overall NAT market in Asia Pacific is likely to grow at a medium pace. Although initial adoption of the technology in the medical community has been slow, NAT is slowly but definitely becoming a recognized and preferred diagnostic tool, says the analyst. Additionally, an increase in research employing molecular biology related protocols is also driving the demand for more NAT-related technologies in Asia.
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