Global Aptamers Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026

The global aptamers market is estimated to be valued at US$1,068.804 million in 2019 and is projected to grow rapidly during the forecast period. Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA and have the property to assume a variety of shapes due to their ability to form loops and helices. The way aptamers fold, the order of the nucleic acids, and the conditions of the matrix they are in, all contribute to binding a target. Owing to their extreme versatility they bind to the target that is highly selective and specific including proteins, peptides, and carbohydrates. Aptamers are currently being used for the diagnosis of various diseases and the detection of small molecules.

Aptamers may be used as pharmaceutical lead selection reagents and functional proteomic levels. The growth in the market may be attributed to the advantages of the aptamer over antibodies such as low cost and high efficiency, coupled with the diverse range of applications offered by the aptamers. Continuous advancement in technologies along with its quick implementation is expected to boost the market growth during the given period. However, a lack of skilled professionals may hamper the market growth during the given period. Major companies have been making a significant impact in the market, in the past few years. The acceleration in the investments in Research and Development is expected to make a positive impact on the overall market growth. Aptagen, a key player in the market, has been involved in aptamer development, over 25 years. The company has been generating specifically binding and high-affinity aptamers, for proteins, small molecules, tissues, and cells. The company has also been producing state of art and advanced elements for therapeutics, bio-industrial and diagnostic applications. These trends and developments are expected to have a positive impact on the market, during the forecast period.

Rising R&D investments in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

The market is expected to surge in the coming years, due to the growth in R&D investments in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The research-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry plays a significant role in the enhancement of a specific region, advancing competitive index, and is essential to the growth of the global economy. According to the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, the total R&D expenditure in the pharmaceutical sector in Europe had been over EUR35 billion, in the year 2019. India is also expected to play a major role in the overall market growth. The country has been among the top 12 destinations for biotechnology, globally, and has around a 3% share in the biotechnology industry, according to the data given by the National Investment Promotion & Facilitation Agency. Other countries, such as China and the United States are also expected to have a major role in the overall market growth. The United States has been a major destination for research and development. In 2004, the first and novel aptamer therapeutic product, which has been called Macugen was approved by the United States of Food and Drugs Administration. China has become one of the biggest healthcare markets, globally. According to the country’s government, the pharmaceutical market had been worth more than US$100 billion in the year 2019. The country has also introduced several reforms to attract biotech investors. These trends are expected to have a positive impact on the market, in the coming years.

Latest Developments

In June 2021, Aptamer Group, a producer, and developer of Optimer Therapeutics, and PinotBio, a clinical-stage and a major oncology biotech firm, announced that they had entered into a joint strategic partnership and collaboration agreement, intending to develop optimal drug conjugates for the targeted drug delivery system. The novel technology would combine Aptamer’s Group’ Optimer technology, with chemotherapeutic FL-188 of PinotBio. Optimer therapeutics are also known as optimized aptamer solutions. This development is expected to have a positive impact on the market, in the coming years.

In April 2021, a research team from India’s Vellore Institute of Technology announced that they had bagged a project, which had been funded by the Science and Engineering Research Board of the Department of Science and Technology, intending to produce and develop an aptamer-based POC diagnostic kit for detecting COVID-19 strains. The research team would use an aptamer-based biosensor, which contains the biorecognition element, to produce a detectable signal after detecting the target.

In May 2021, Aptamer Group announced that it had extended its current and ongoing agreement with a major pharmaceutical firm, called AstraZeneca. The current agreement would allow the existing collaboration to evaluate the potential use of Optimer-based strategies to explore the feasibility of the development of next-generation drug delivery vehicles and target renal cells, Optimer-drug conjugates. This development is expected to have a positive impact on the market, in the coming years.

Market Segmentation:

By Type

• DNA based Aptamers
• RNA based Aptamers
• Peptide-based Aptamers

By Application

• Therapeutic
• Diagnostics
• Others

By End User

• Research Institutes
• Biotechnology Companies
• Pharmaceutical Companies

By Geography

• North America
• USA
• Canada
• Mexico
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Others
• Europe
• UK
• Germany
• France
• Italy
• Others
• Middle East and Africa
• Asia Pacific
• Japan
• China
• India
• South Korea
• Thailand
• Taiwan
• Indonesia
• Others