Aptamers Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Nucleic Acid, Peptide), By Application (Diagnostics, Therapeutics, Research & Developments), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030

Report Overview

The global aptamers market size was valued at USD 1,624.5 million in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.5% from 2022 to 2030. Recent advancements in the generation, purification, and drug delivery for killing target cells have attracted the attention of many researchers towards aptamers due to the competitive advantages associated with them. Some of the advantages, including small molecular size, low immunogenicity, low cost of manufacturing, and lesser side effects compared to antibodies may fuel the R&D of novel aptamers, thereby driving the market growth.

Despite significant efforts, there are currently no highly effective treatments available against COVID-19 infections due to a large number of genetic mutations. However, biotechnological approaches appear to be promising in the treatment of COVID-19. Consequently, nucleic-acid-based aptamers and peptide aptamers might be effective in treating COVID-19 infection. Thus, various initiatives are being undertaken by governments to boost the R&D of novel treatments for COVID-19. For instance, in September 2020, the Department of Community and Economic Development awarded a contract of USD 320,000 to Aptagen LLC for the research and development of a novel treatment for the COVID-19.

The aptamers-based diagnostic kits and assays developed by using SELEX technology have the ability to develop high-affinity neutralizers and bioprobes for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 biomarkers. Therefore, the introduction of diagnostic kits in the market for disease diagnosis is projected to drive market growth. For instance, in December 2021, Achiko AG received approval from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia for Aptamex, a COVID-19 diagnostic kit. AptameX is a second-generation diagnostic kit developed by using DNA aptamer-based technology that is a cost-effective, chemically synthesized and emerging diagnostic kit for healthcare.

Aptamers-based diagnostic products are the preferred choice among diagnostic and pathology labs for the diagnosis of disease at the cellular level due to their small size, high specificity, selectivity, and efficacy. Thus, the increasing prevalence of diseases such as cancer, CVD, and AMD may increase the footfall of patients in labs for the diagnosis of these diseases, consequently increasing the demand for aptamer-based diagnostic products. According to Cancer Research U.K. estimates, around 27.5 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer by 2040.

In March 2022, SomaLogic announced the initiation of assaying samples using SomaScan Assay for the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study by analyzing 210 million protein measurements from 30,000 samples. This will help researchers in predicting cancer by better understanding its nature, which in turn may contribute to market growth by addressing the increased demand.

As of now, Macugen developed by Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (currently commercialized by Bausch Health Companies Inc.) is the only U.S. FDA-approved (2004) therapeutic aptamer available on the market. It is used for the treatment of age-related muscular degeneration disorder (AMD). Technological advancements in research encourage scientists’ attention toward the development of novel aptamer-based therapeutic drugs for the treatment of various diseases. Currently, there are a number of products under different clinical trials including Zimura developed by IVERIC Bio, Inc., for the treatment of patients with AMD. Thus, the expected approval of this drug may boost the growth of the market over the forecast period.

Type Insights

The nucleic acid segment dominated the market and held the largest revenue share of 77.8% in 2021, and is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period. At present, many companies are investigating the mechanism of action of nucleic acid aptamers for the treatment of various disorders, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). For instance, in June 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a written agreement under Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) to IVERIC BIO (formerly known as Ophthotech Corporation) for the design of GATHER2 phase 3 clinical trial of Zimura for treatment of patients with GA secondary to AMD. This approval is expected to boost segment growth.

The peptide aptamer segment is expected to witness lucrative market growth over the forecast period owing to the large application base for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. For instance, in August 2021, scientists from the Engineering Center for Microtechnology and Diagnostics developed a novel biosensor for multiparametric express testing in preclinical diagnostics of cardiovascular disease. Next-generation biochips have been developed for this testing based on the peptide aptamer marker system and molecular recognition. For this, researchers have designed peptide aptamers using data from Data Bank and Protein 3D software. Hence, the introduction of such products in the market may boost the utilization of peptide aptamers.

Application Insights

The research and development segment dominated the market and held the highest revenue share of 30.9% in 2021. The growth of the segment is attributed to the rising demand for aptamers, coupled with increasing research activities in this field. There are various strategic initiatives undertaken by key players like collaborations, partnerships, and agreements for the R&D of novel aptamers-based diagnostic and therapeutic products. For instance, in June 2021, SomaLogic and Ixaka Ltd entered into a research collaboration with an aim to support the discovery and development of aptamers-based bispecific therapeutics. This collaboration evaluates the safety and efficacy of antigen-specific SOMAmer reagents. Such an initiative is expected to boost segment growth.

The therapeutics segment is expected to exhibit lucrative market growth during the forecast period, owing to the ability to design antidotes rationally (which is tough with antibodies) and is considered to be the better alternative related to protein therapeutics in terms of synthetic accessibility, size, and modification by medicinal chemistry. These all facts will collectively help the therapeutics segment to build a strong market presence during the future period. However, nuclease resistance is a major threat associated with therapeutic aptamers, which may restrain segment growth.

Regional Insights

North America dominated the aptamers market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 44.8% in 2021. The rising prevalence of chronic diseases, strong healthcare infrastructure, and the growing interest of research laboratories in the aptamer field are some of the major factors for the dominance of the region. In April 2022, Noxxon Pharma announced that it will present top-line result data for its NOX-A12 GLORIA trial in brain cancer at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

In Asia Pacific, the market is expected to be the fastest-growing during the forecast period. The growth of the region is attributable to the approval of new aptamer-based products in the region. For instance, in April 2020, Achiko AG entered into an agreement with the Pengurus Wilayah Nahdlatul Ulama DKI, a Jakarta-based world's largest Islamic association for the marketing and sales of aptamer-based COVID-19 diagnostic kit AptameX. This organization has 90 million registered members in Indonesia.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Major players are adopting strategies such as modifications in the existing product, approval of new products, and mergers and acquisitions for product enhancements and regional expansion to attain a greater market share. For instance, in August 2021, ProAxsis Limited and Aptamer Group entered into a partnership for the development of optimer ligands for the diagnostic assays of ProAxsis. Optimer ligands are next-generation nucleic-acid-based affinity aptamers. Some of the prominent players in the global aptamers market include:

• SomaLogic

• Aptamer Group

• Aptamer Sciences, Inc.

• Base Pair Biotechnologies

• Noxxon Pharma

• Vivonics Inc.

• Aptagen, LLC

• TriLink Biotechnologies

Aptamers Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report 

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global aptamers market report on the basis of type, application, and region:

• Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Nucleic Acid Aptamer

  • Peptide Aptamer

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Diagnostics

  • Therapeutics

  • Research And Development

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  •  Europe

    • Germany

    • U.K.

    • France

    • Italy

    • Spain

  • Asia Pacific

    • Japan

    • China

    • India

    • Australia

    • South Korea

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

    • Argentina

  • MEA

    • South Africa

    • Saudi Arabia

    • UAE