Protein Labeling Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Reagents, Kits), By Method, By Application (Mass Spectrometry, Cell-based Assays), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030

Report Overview

The global protein labeling market size was valued at USD 2.28 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.44% from 2023 to 2030. An increase in R&D spending for proteomics research supports protein analysis, which propels the demand for protein labeling techniques. This increase in R&D spending has benefitted the proteomics field by broadening the application of mass spectrometry, protein microarray, and biochips in this field. In addition, improvements in mass spectrometry workflows and miniaturization of biochips also drive proteomics applications, consequently driving the organic revenue growth of the market. The COVID-19 outbreak has had a negative impact on almost every industry around the globe. Significant disruptions in manufacturing and supply-chain operations have occurred as a result of various precautionary lockdowns and other restrictions imposed by governments around the world. Similarly, COVID-19 had adversely impacted the global protein labeling market.

Furthermore, consumer demand has decreased as individuals focused on reducing non-essential expenses as the overall economic situation of most individuals has been badly impacted by the pandemic. Over the forecast period, the above-mentioned factors are expected to impact the global protein labeling market's revenue trajectory. The global protein labeling industry is predicted to revive as individual governing authorities begin to lift these enforced lockdowns.

Protein labeling is a useful tool for studying protein structure, function, and gene function. The market has been strengthened by the introduction of new technology. Protein labeling is a secondary research approach for proteomic analysis that is utilized in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries for research and diagnostic purposes. Furthermore, as the prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer rises, so does the demand for disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. As a result, the need for such techniques is expected to rise. Lack of experienced specialists, limited uses of protein labeling goods, and high costs of reagents, kits, and other protein labeling services, are some of the potential roadblocks to market expansion.

With an increase in the R&D expenditure, the proteomic content derived from large-scale proteomics & genomics research is accelerating the discovery of novel biomarkers. An increase in the number of drugs in the R&D pipeline also supplements the usage of proteomics research. The number of drugs present in the R&D pipeline was around 16,181 drugs in 2019, which is an increase of nearly 2.7% compared with that in 2018.

The adoption of modern molecular biology and bioengineering tools to enhance the knowledge of functional mechanisms on a subcellular scale, both under pathologic and physiologic conditions, leads to improvement in drug development, diagnosis, and therapy applications. With the use of bioengineering tools, the usage of labels in the detection & purification of proteins and diagnostic tests based on the detection of the presence of a particular protein has increased significantly.

The use of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) followed by conjugation of labeled protein, with fluorophores, polymers, affinity reagents, peptides, or nanoparticles is proven to be effective in proteomics and biotechnology applications. These labeled proteins with ncAAs are enriched with cells and tissues. These new bioengineered tools are expected to gain traction for temporal and spatial analysis of protein dynamics and engineering novel chemistries.

The advancements in mass spectrometry with regard to biomarker identification and quantification for disease prognosis is expected to provide lucrative avenues for market progression. These advancements include Surface-Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization, which is an alternative version of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization where the analyte binds to a surface before mass analysis. This can be applied for the detection of the progression rate of gastric cancer.

Additionally, Host Cell Proteins interfere with biopharmaceutical manufacturing and result in low yields in investigations. During such operations, it is critical to detect and eliminate the host cell protein. The introduction of 2D DIBE has proven to be a reliable method for detecting host cell protein, it uses Cy3 which is a fluorescent dye. This has opened the profitable potential for the market for new protein labels.

Smaller companies are entering the market with customized protein labeling kits, whereas larger companies are focusing on new product launches to cater to the needs of researchers. Furthermore, the leading players have been able to expand their product range and R&D operations in this market by acquiring individual and private organizations. Larger organizations are using agreements as a significant strategy to expand their product portfolio. Furthermore, several novel solutions are launched into the market to address the high cost associated with the protein labeling process. Abcam, a UK-based manufacturer, and supplier of protein research tools, announced in January 2020 that it has agreed to buy Expedeon's Proteomics and Immunology division, which includes Innova and TGR Biosciences. Enzymes, metals, oligos, and fluorescent proteins are among the labels supported by Expedeon technology.

Product Insights

Reagents segment dominated the market for protein labeling with a revenue share of 65.02% in 2022. A rise in the number of labeling agents and genetically engineered labels being discovered is attributed to the estimated share of the reagents segment. Furthermore, the commercial availability of efficient reagents, such as No-Stain Protein Labeling Reagent that enables accurate and reliable protein visualization and normalization, positively impacts the segment growth. In the reagent segment, the protein segment dominated the market for protein labeling in terms of revenue share. This can be attributive to the usage of monomeric fluorescent proteins that address issues associated with aggregation caused due to electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions in the host and fluorescent protein. Market participants, such as Addgene and Allele Biotechnology, are working in collaboration for the development of such monomeric products.

On the contrary, kits segment is anticipated to register the fastest CAGR of 8.46% from 2023 to 2030. Various kits have been developed to label membrane peptide molecules for super-resolution microscopy. Moreover, the recent development and increasing adoption of peptide-based affinity procedures is expected to result in the development of a large number of kits in the near future.

Method Insights

In terms of revenue, in-vitro methods accounted for the larger revenue share of 70.53% in 2022 and are projected to grow at a lucrative pace in the near future. Among these methods, enzymatic labeling dominated the segment share due to the highly specific action of the enzymes. Covalent site-specific binding of an enzyme aids in the incorporation of bio-orthogonal functionalities into proteins, thereby enabling site-specific protein labeling and engineering. Nanoparticle-based in-vitro methods are expected to register the fastest CAGR from 2023 to 2030. This method involves the usage of nanoparticles, particularly gold nanoparticles, which can be linked specifically to an antibody or hinge thiol on IgG or Fab. Owing to their small size, nanoparticles are capable of reaching intricate places and form covalent bonds with the target protein or peptide, which provides better labeling and stability.

This method also provides ultra-stability, prevents metal-antibody interactions, and ultra-sensitivity during protein detection and quantification. Classic passive adsorption and covalent conjugation are the most commonly employed strategies during the labeling of peptide molecules by using gold nanoparticles. Moreover, easy conjugation of gold nanoparticles makes it highly popular in R&D and manufacturing procedures of diagnostic kits.

Application Insights

The immunological techniques segment dominated the market for protein labeling and accounted for the largest revenue share of 40.61% in 2022. Most of the immunological techniques such as flow cytometry, immunoassays, western blotting, and immunofluorescence, involve the usage of labels. These techniques are majorly used in cancer research as well as autoimmune disease research and the development of therapeutics. Moreover, these techniques are widely accepted in the detection of diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, pulmonary diseases, neurological disease, and gastrointestinal diseases. The wide application of immunological techniques contributes to the larger revenue share of the segment. The application of immunoelectron microscopy for defining the position of antigens that are in the resolution of 10 nanometers or finer is also attributive for the estimated revenue share.

The rapid evolution of high-throughput fluorescence microscopy for detailed biological analysis of cellular pathways in academic research has resulted in the fastest projected growth of the fluorescence microscopy segment at a CAGR of 8.12% over the forecast period. This technique is advantageous over conventional microscopy because it analyzes a large number of samples with high acquisition speed and allows unbiased methods for capturing images.

Regional Insights

North America dominated the protein labeling market with a share of around 41.50% in 2022. The number of research activities employing immunological techniques, fluorescence microscopy, western blotting, ELISA, cell-based assays has increased significantly in this region, which has contributed to the larger revenue share. The high adoption of protein labeling techniques in disease diagnosis-associated studies also fuels the region’s revenue generation. For instance, a research study published in August 2019, by the researchers from the National Institutes of Health (U.S.), demonstrated the application of a bi-arsenical dye system that permits the fluorescent detection of proteins in different cellular locations. This technology opened new avenues for the investigation of the morphology and motility of Borrelia species and Leptospira species that cause Lyme disease and leptospirosis conditions, respectively.

In Asia Pacific, the market for protein labeling is projected to register the fastest CAGR of 9.93% from 2023 to 2030. This is due to ongoing research projects that drive the proteomics related research in this region. The Structural Proteomics Project, Proteome Expression Database, Genome Medicine Database of Japan Proteomics, Chemotherapy and Cancer Proteomics Project, and Structural Genomics are among the few ongoing projects in Japan.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Over the years, the market for protein labeling has witnessed a substantial number of business expansions, acquisitions, new product launches, and other initiatives. For instance, in January 2023, SCIEX expanded its protein characterization portfolio with the launch of its new fast glycan labeling and analysis kit which offers rapid analysis and identification of protein associated glycans. Such initiatives can open new avenues of growth for similar protein labeling solutions. Some of the prominent players in the global protein labeling market include:

• Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

• Merck KGaA

• Perkin Elmer, Inc.

• Promega Corporation

• F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

• LGC Limited

• New England Biolabs

• LI-COR, Inc.

• GE Healthcare

• Jena Bioscience GmbH

Protein Labeling Market Report Scope

Global Protein Labeling Market Report Segmentation

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 protein labeling market report on the basis of product, method, application, and region:

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

  • Reagents

    • Proteins

    • Enzymes

    • Probes/Tags

    • Monoclonal Antibodies

    • Other Reagents

  • Kits

  • Services

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

  • In-vitro Labeling Methods

    • Enzymatic Labeling

    • Dye-based Labeling

    • Co-translational Labeling

    • Site-specific Labeling

    • Nanoparticle Labeling

    • Others

  • In-vivo Labeling Methods

    • Photoreactive Labeling

    • Radioactive Labeling

    • Others

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

  • Cell-based Assays

  • Fluorescence Microscopy

  • Immunological Techniques

  • Protein Microarray

  • Mass Spectrometry

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

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • UK

    • France

    • Italy

    • Spain

    • Denmark

    • Sweden

    • Norway

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • Japan

    • India

    • Australia

    • Thailand

    • South Korea

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

    • Argentina

  • Middle East Africa (MEA)

    • South Africa

    • Saudi Arabia

    • UAE

    • Kuwait