Frost & Sullivan analysis forecasts continued growth in sequencing market

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—As the pharmaceutical and biotechindustries continue to press forward and grow, the next-generation sequencingmarket grows along with them in keeping with the demand for faster and moreaccurate technology. As vendors continue to provide systems with a variety ofthroughput options and prices, their end-user base continues to grow; as sequencingbecomes more affordable, the technology will spread to be prevalent even insmaller laboratories, driving demand forward.

In a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, StrategicAnalysis of the U.S. Next Generation Sequencing Markets, the firm estimates thatthe next-generation sequencing market will remain strong as technology adoptionincreases and spreads to other fields and leads to double-digit growth over thenext three years.

In keeping with the attempt to gain smaller laboratories aspotential customers, developers have begun offering low- to mid-throughputsequencing instruments, and while they have lower outputs, they have lowerprices as well. The benchtop sequencers are becoming more prevalent asproviders seek to cater to a variety of budgets.

"In the near term, getting sequencers into smaller labsremains a major initiative for sequencing providers as they continue tointroduce affordable benchtop systems," said Frost & Sullivan IndustryAnalyst Christianne Bird in a press release. "In the long term, sequencingvendors are eyeing personalized medicine and clinical sequencing to open newend-user markets and drive major growth."

Despite the potential of the market and the increase indemand for sequencing technology, Frost & Sullivan's analysis notes, thepotential growth is restrained by the field's popularity with providers. Thenumber of service providers continues to rise, as do the numbers of corefacilities that offer sequencing services, and while those providers continueto constitute a strong customer base, sequencing core facilities offerlaboratories an alternative, allowing them to work around having to purchasetechnology for in-house sequencing. For those whose work does not requirefrequent sequencing, or whose budget does not allow for it, the sequencingservices are often the more attractive, cost-effective alternative.

"In this fast-paced and rapidly growing market, mergers,acquisitions and partnerships continue to shake up competitive dynamics," saidBird. "With the threat of a new technology making older systems obsolete,current suppliers are stepping up efforts to secure their futurecompetitiveness through M&A and strategic partnerships while also pursuingaggressive R&D strategies."

The field continues to grow, and the options availableincrease as customer demand grows, driving competition to produce faster andmore accurate models, and as more vendors and providers become interested intaking part in the developmental and fiscal potential that sequencingtechnology offers.

The Strategic Analysis of the U.S. Next GenerationSequencing Markets is part of the Drug Discovery Technologies GrowthPartnership Service program, which includes research in several other marketsas well, including the U.S. Epigenetics Markets, MicroRNA Markets, U.S. NucleicAcid Purification and Isolation Markets and Strategic Analysis of U.S. MicroRNAServices Markets.

SOURCE: Frost & Sullivan press release