Protein Expression Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Expression System (Prokaryotic, Mammalian Cell), By Product (Reagents, Services), By Application, By End-user, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030

Report Overview

The global protein expression market size was valued at USD 2.78 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1% from 2022 to 2030. The increasing importance of protein-based therapeutics in modern medicine coupled with the growing investment by biopharmaceutical companies in R&D is anticipated to become a major growth determinant of the market. For instance, in August 2022, Merck collaborated with Orna Therapeutics to innovate, develop, and commercialize various programs, including developing RNA technology for protein therapeutics. Merck invested approximately USD 150 million as part of the agreement.

The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as an urgent situation across the globe. Hence, it is required to assess the differentially expressed genes in the patients with COVID-19 to gain insights into the disease pathogenesis and the genetic factors. Similarly, researchers from Adamas University, Hallym University-Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Fakir Mohan University, and Qatar University (QU) Health conducted a study and developed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) pattern and cluster analysis of the PPI network to identify potential biomarkers for COVID-19 patients.

The global market is expected to witness growth owing to the rising demand for personalized therapeutics and the rapidly growing R&D activities that support protein expression. The discovery of protein therapeutics is driven via protein engineering, along with the artificial construction of recombinant proteins. The advancement in technology is creating favorable opportunities for enhancing patient care by developing personalized medical therapies.

Strategic initiatives between companies and academic institutions to develop innovative technologies are anticipated to support the upward market momentum. For instance, the researchers from the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research and the University of California, Berkeley collaborated to develop and commercialize a platform for protein stabilization to surge the innovation in therapeutics for genetic disorders and cancer. In July 2022, the researchers launched Vicinitas Therapeutics with USD 65 million in series A funding.

Acceleration in product launches coupled with the development of strong pipelines by operating players is projected to increase the usage of protein expression by the players. For instance, in May 2022, Biocon Biologics Ltd. and Viatris Inc. announced the launch of Abevmy (bevacizumab) in Canada. The product is the fourth biosimilar in Canada that is offered by Viatris for cancer. In February 2021, Viatris Canada introduced the Hulio biosimilar for chronic inflammatory conditions. Hence, the increasing frequency of product development that evolves through expressing the target protein is a significant factor for market growth.

The stringent regulations on the production of biologics and lengthy time frame for license, approval, and clearance of the product are anticipated to restrain the growth of the market. However, significant changes were made by the U.S.-FDA in section 506C of the FD&C Act to address the interruption and discontinuances of biologics in the market. For instance, the manufacturer is required to inform FDA about the discontinuance of a product at least 6 months before the initiative.

Expression System Insights

The prokaryotic segment held the largest share of over 40.0% in 2021 as it is relatively easier to handle and fulfill major purposes in research. The segment is anticipated to maintain its position in the forecast period owing to favorable characteristics, such as large-scale recombinant protein production in a short time and at a lower cost.

The mammalian cell segment is projected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. Various pharmaceutical companies have employed mammalian expression systems to develop and produce proteins transiently or through stable cell lines. This takes place where particular expression constructs combine into the genome host. However, the employment of systems depends on the purpose and approach. For instance, for antigen production, structural studies, and activity studies, wherein post-translational is not a requirement, the prokaryotic is considered to be ideal. However, companies prefer mammalian cells for the production of vaccines, therapeutics, and proteins.

Product Insights

Reagents dominated the market with a revenue share of over 40.0% in 2021. The market consists of mature players such as Agilent Technologies, Inc. and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The companies offer a wide range of transfection reagents to fulfill the particular needs of transfection and idealize the conditions of cell culture. 

The services segment is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 12.1% from 2022 to 2030. The growth is attributed to the increasing outsourcing by pharmaceutical and biotech companies to antibody production companies for protein production and expression to support their personalized assay development and discovery of therapeutic antibodies.

Similarly, numerous players are employing strategic initiatives to expand their presence in the market. In August 2022, BioIVT announced the acquisition of Cypex, as the acquired company’s product range of proteins complements BioIVT’s solutions for drug research and development. Furthermore, Cypex’s offerings are developed through patented technology, that allows the expression of human drug-metabolizing enzymes in bacteria, without the need for a major modification to the proteins.

Application Insights

The therapeutic segment dominated the market with over 50.0% in 2021 and is anticipated to register the highest growth rate over the forecast period as protein therapeutics pose numerous advantages over other medications. They are customizable, resulting in a more effective line of treatment and a low probability of side effects. Additionally, it can act as a replacement treatment during the shortage of a functional protein in the body owing to gene deficiency.

The most important driver of this application segment is the increasing participation of companies in developing protein-based therapeutics as the approval time is comparatively shorter and has better patent protection regulation. Both these factors increase the profitability of the pharma and biotech companies and encourage further investment in R&D.

End-user Insights

The pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies segment held the largest revenue share of over 45.0% in 2021 due to the widespread use of cultured cells for the development of therapeutics and personalized medicines. As of 2019, over 170 recombinant proteins are used in medicine across the globe. The segment is driven by the increasing innovative use of proteins in the pharmaceutical industry. For creating a superior value in therapeutic and protein stability, the companies use existing proteins with genetic variants coupled with completely new protein designs.

Contract research organizations are expected to register the fastest growth rate over the forecast period. This can be attributed to the range of specialized services provided by the organizations to the pharma and biopharma companies at considerable pricing, thereby offering a competitive advantage over their competitors. For instance, Charles River Laboratories offers services ranging from construction design to automated protein purification. 

Regional Insights

North America dominated the regional market with a share of over 40.0% in 2021. This major proportion of share can be attributed to the presence of key players in the region, increasing fund flow in R&D, and strong pipelines of biosimilars. It has been observed that collaboration between companies and academic institutions is one of the key strategies employed in the North American region.

Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest-growing region over the forecast period owing to the increasing adoption of protein expression in various applications, particularly in India and China. Additionally, the emerging focus on proteomics and genomics research and increasing initiatives by academic institutions for innovative development in protein therapeutics have offered lucrative growth opportunities to the Asia Pacific market throughout the forecast period.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Numerous players in this market are employing several strategies such as vertical collaboration, product discovery, and development, establishing a strong product portfolio through mergers and acquisitions, and geographical expansion, to expand their global footprints.

For instance, in July 2022, Beijing Luzhu Biotechnology and Maxvax Biotechnology are fundraising for their respective R&D programs for developing a vaccine. Maxvax raised approximately USD 74 million via Series B funding to support multiple clinical trials of its vaccine pipeline. The company owns various platforms such as recombinant protein expression and mRNA that are employed across the globe. Some prominent players in the global protein expression market include:

• Agilent Technologies, Inc.

• Bio-Rad Laboratories

• Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

• Merck Millipore

• New England BioLabs, Inc.

• Promega Corporation

• QIAGEN

• Takara Bio, Inc.

• Oxford Expression Technologies

• Lucigen Corporation

Protein Expression Market Report Scope 

Global Protein Expression Market Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For this report, Grand View Research has segmented the global protein expression market report based on expression system, product, application, end-user, and region:

• Expression System Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Prokaryotic

  • Mammalian Cell

  • Insect Cell

  • Yeast

  • Others

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

  • Reagents

  • Competent Cells

  • Expression Vectors

  • Services

  • Instruments

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

  • Therapeutic

  • Industrial

  • Research

• End-user Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Pharmaceutical & Biotechnological Companies

  • Academic Research

  • Contract Research Organizations

  • Others

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

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • U.K.

    • Germany

    • France

    • Italy

    • Spain

  • Asia Pacific

    • Japan

    • China

    • India

    • South Korea

    • Australia

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

    • Argentina

  • Middle East & Africa

    • South Africa

    • Saudi Arabia

    • UAE