Primary Cell Culture Market Report 2025

The primary cell culture market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $6.79 billion in 2024 to $7.76 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increasing demand for monoclonal antibodies, increased demand for novel therapeutics, growing demand for personalized medicine, growing demand in cell therapy research.

The primary cell culture market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $13.03 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.8%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to rapid growth in incidence of cancer, rising growth in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, growing demand for personalized medicine, growing applications in 3D cell culture models. Major trends in the forecast period include technological advancements,product innovation, partnerships, research and development.

The forecast of 13.8% growth over the next five years reflects a modest reduction of 1.1% from the previous estimate for this market. This reduction is primarily due to the impact of tariffs between the US and other countries. Trade tensions could hinder U.S. biomedical research by inflating prices of human-derived epithelial cells and specialized growth media sourced from Japan and Singapore, resulting in delayed drug development timelines and higher preclinical study costs. The effect will also be felt more widely due to reciprocal tariffs and the negative effect on the global economy and trade due to increased trade tensions and restrictions.

The growth of the primary cell culture market is expected to be driven by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are enduring conditions that progress slowly and persist over extended periods, often throughout an individual's lifetime. This rise can be attributed to factors such as lifestyle changes, environmental influences, physical inactivity, dietary shifts, and demographic changes. Primary cell cultures play a crucial role in advancing knowledge and treatment strategies for chronic diseases, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes. For example, in January 2023, the National Center For Biotechnology Information estimated that the number of people with at least one chronic disease would increase by 99.5%, from 71.522 million in 2020 to 142.66 million by 2050. Therefore, the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is a key driver of the primary cell culture market.

Leading companies in the primary cell culture market are focusing on developing cell banks containing primary cells specifically for cultivated meat research, aiming to advance sustainable and ethical meat production technologies. The Cell Bank initiative aims to support early-stage companies and researchers by providing high-quality animal primary cells suitable for cultivated meat research and development, at up to 90% lower costs than other cell line providers and free from licensing restrictions. For instance, in June 2023, Extracellular, a UK-based CDMO, introduced low-cost, license-free cell banks to support the cultivated meat sector. These cell banks initially offer cells isolated from cows, pigs, and lambs' fat, muscle, and bone marrow tissues. This collaborative project accelerates the growth of the cultivated meat industry in the UK by increasing cell line availability and enabling innovative technology development without licensing or commercial agreement restrictions.

In April 2023, AnaBios Corporation acquired Cell Systems, further enhancing its portfolio of human tissue and cells to support drug discovery and deepen understanding of cell biology. Cell Systems, a US-based company, provides primary cell and cell culture solutions.

Major companies operating in the primary cell culture market are Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Merck KGaA, FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, GE HealthCare Technologies Inc., Corning Incorporated, Lonza Group Ltd., Sartorius AG, Miltenyi Biotec and CO.KG, STEMCELL Technologies Inc., Cyagen Biosciences Inc., Hi Media Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., PromoCell GmbH, AllCells LLC, BPS Bioscience Inc., MatTek Ltd., Axol Bioscience Ltd., Lifeline Cell Technology Corp., Neuromics Inc., Cell Biologics Inc., ZenBio Inc., Epithelix Sàrl, ReachBio LLC, AcceGen Biotechnology, Biopredic International, ixCells Biotechnologies.

North America was the largest region in the primary cell culture market in 2024. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the primary cell culture market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the primary cell culture market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The primary cell culture market consists of revenues earned by entities by provide services such as adherent cell culture service, suspension cell culture service, cell purification, and analytics. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The primary cell culture market also includes sales of cell culture vessels, human platelet lysate, and cell culture plastics. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

The sudden escalation of U.S. tariffs and the resulting trade tensions in spring 2025 are having a significant impact on the pharmaceutical sector. Companies are grappling with higher costs on imported active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), glass vials, and laboratory equipment - many of which have limited alternative sources. Generic drug manufacturers, already operating with minimal profit margins, are particularly affected, with some scaling back production of low-margin medications. Biotech firms are also experiencing delays in clinical trials due to shortages of specialized reagents linked to tariffs. In response, the industry is shifting API production to regions like India and Europe, building up inventory reserves, and advocating for tariff exemptions on essential medicines.

The primary cell culture market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides primary cell culture market statistics, including primary cell culture industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a primary cell culture market share, detailed primary cell culture market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the primary cell culture industry. This primary cell culture market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

Primary cell culture involves isolating cells directly from tissues or organisms and cultivating them in a controlled laboratory setting. This process includes obtaining tissues from humans or animals, breaking them down using various methods, and encouraging viable cells to grow in specialized culture vessels with specific media.

The primary cell culture products primarily consist of primary cells, reagents, supplements, and media. Primary cells are valued for maintaining their original phenotype and functions, making them more representative of natural cells and providing reliable results that can be translated into in vivo applications with confidence. These products are used for both animal and human cells. Various techniques for separation and culture include the explant method, enzymatic disaggregation, mechanical separation, and others. They are applied in diverse fields such as tissue culture and engineering, vaccine production, gene therapy, regenerative medicine, drug screening, toxicity testing, cancer research, virology, stem cell therapy, among others. These products are utilized by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic and research institutes, and other end users.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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