Cell Culture Media and Single-Use Reagents Market Report 2026

The cell culture media and single-use reagents market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $4.41 billion in 2025 to $5 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.4%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rising adoption of serum-based cell culture systems, limited availability of standardized gmp-grade reagents, dependence on reusable laboratory consumables, fragmented global bioprocessing supply chains, early-stage adoption of single-use technologies.

The cell culture media and single-use reagents market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $8.34 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.6%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to shift toward serum-free and chemically defined media, expansion of large-scale biomanufacturing facilities, increasing adoption of single-use bioprocessing systems, growing demand for cell and gene therapy production, rising investment in automated and high-throughput cell culture platforms. Major trends in the forecast period include serum-free and chemically defined media adoption, expansion of single-use bioprocessing systems, increasing demand for contamination-free aseptic processing, rise in high-throughput cell culture screening platforms, growing emphasis on regulatory-compliant gmp-grade reagents.

The growing investment in cell and gene therapy development is expected to propel the growth of the cell culture media and single-use reagents market going forward. Cell and gene therapy development involves the process of creating treatments that modify or replace defective genes or utilize engineered cells to treat or prevent diseases. The rising investment in cell and gene therapy development is increasing due to the growing prevalence of genetic and rare diseases. The cell culture media and single-use reagents market is supported by the expanding investment in cell and gene therapy development, as these products are essential for scalable, sterile, and efficient manufacturing of advanced therapies. For instance, in September 2024, according to CGT Catapult, a UK-based independent innovation and technology organization, total investment in advanced therapies (including cell and gene therapy) reached £0.77 billion in 2023 and £0.97 billion in 2024, reflecting 26% year-on-year growth. Therefore, the growing investment in cell and gene therapy development is driving the growth of the cell culture media and single-use reagents market.

Leading companies operating in the cell culture media and single-use reagents market are focusing on single-use bioprocessing technologies, such as integrated single-use bioreactor systems, to improve production efficiency and reduce contamination risks in biomanufacturing. Integrated single-use bioreactor systems are pre-sterilized, disposable cultivation platforms that combine process control, monitoring, and fluid management into a single unit to eliminate cleaning requirements, reduce turnaround time, and ensure consistent batch performance. For example, in August 2023, Sartorius AG, a Germany-based life sciences company, and Repligen Corporation, a US-based life sciences company, launched an integrated Biostat STR system with XCell ATF technology. The system includes embedded cell retention technology and predefined control recipes, which improve process intensification and reduce setup complexity. It also enables faster installation and an optimized equipment footprint, lowering operational costs and enhancing scalability in commercial cell culture production.

In August 2024, Merck KGaA, a Germany-based healthcare technology company, acquired Mirus Bio for $600 million. Through this acquisition, Merck KGaA seeks to strengthen its cell culture and gene delivery portfolio by enhancing capabilities in transfection reagents, thereby supporting advanced biologics, vaccine development, and cell and gene therapy workflows. Mirus Bio is a US-based healthcare technology company with strong expertise in transfection reagents used to deliver genetic material into cells, a critical process in cell culture and biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Major companies operating in the cell culture media and single-use reagents market are Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Merck KGaA, Fujifilm Wako, Corning Incorporated, Lonza Group AG, Avantor Inc., Agilent Technologies, Sartorius AG, Bio‑Rad Laboratories Inc., Bio‑Techne Corporation, STEMCELL Technologies, Miltenyi Biotec, LGC Science Group Holdings Ltd, Takara Bio Inc., MP Biomedicals LLC, Chemglass Life Sciences, ATCC, ITW Reagents, PromoCell GmbH, Axol Bioscience Ltd, HiMedia Laboratories, Eppendorf AG, Kohjin Bio Co. Ltd., Nucleus Biologics, OPM Biosciences, Plant Cell Technology, ZenBio Inc., Yocon Corporation.

North America was the largest region in the cell culture media and single-use reagents market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the cell culture media and single-use reagents market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the cell culture media and single-use reagents market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The cell culture media and single-use reagents market consists of sales of basal cell culture media, serum and serum-free media, buffer solutions, growth factors, cytokines, single-use bioprocessing bags, disposable bioreactor liners, filtration units, tubing assemblies, and single-use mixing and storage systems. 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.

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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