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Synthetic Biology Market Future Prospects
The global synthetic biology market size stands at USD 19,228.9 million in 2024, which is expected to reach USD 61,220.9 million by 2030, advancing at a CAGR of 21.6% during 2025–2030. This will prominently be due to the declining costs of DNA sequencing and the availability of efficient and accurate next-genome sequencing systems at lower costs. Further, the increase in several initiatives in synthetic biology research coupled with high R&D funding from the governments as well as private bodies is the other factor that will boost the market size in the forecast period.
The increasing adoption of the NGS technology by pharmaceutical & biopharmaceutical firms in several countries is positively impacting the market outlook. The rising prevalence of chronic diseases, including diabetes and cancer, and autoimmune diseases have resulted in an increased need for innovative treatments. Attributed to this, key players are focusing on supplying superior quality instruments to pharmaceutical organizations and research centers, which are engaged in the development of therapies for genetic diseases. The different biological tools have further helped biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical organizations design therapies as per the nature of the disease.
The use of nanopore sequencing technology for developing NGS platforms is one of the key trends observed in the market. These platforms provide high throughput sequencing to researchers and scientists along with reduced cost and high speed. Traditional sequencing methods, including the Sanger method, are expensive, sluggish, and require a large amount of template DNA, and biological platforms have assisted in disabling these limitations with more precise results.
Synthetic Biology Market Trends & Growth Drivers
Bio-Based Products Are Trending across Industries
The biggest trend in the world is bio-based and sustainable products amidst the growing carbon emissions and worsening environment.
All products that are sourced naturally require some synthetic biology technology be produced.
From plastics and fuels to textiles and cosmetics, everything is going green.
Considering the alarming rate of plastic pollution, these materials are increasingly being derived from plants rich in starch and cellulose.
Common bioplastics include PLA, PGA, PHA, and PHB.
Similarly, biodiesel is being increasingly experimented for blending with conventional diesel in automobiles, trains, and even ships.
Being made from vegetable oils, used cooking oils, yellow grease, or animal fats, it is a smaller source of emissions, both during production and combustion.
Moreover, common chemicals, such as alcohols, solvents, and acids, are increasingly being produced from bio-based feedstock.
Crude oil and natural gas act as the traditional source of many chemicals, and considering the emissions generated during their processing, as well as their depleting reserves, the focus on biochemicals is rising.
Another industry that is going green is cosmetics and personal care, primarily due to the rising awareness of the negative health effects of the chemicals present in traditional products.
The demand for bio-sourced skincare, suncare, and haircare products, make-up and color cosmetics, and fragrances continues to grow amidst the increasing appearance and environmental consciousness.
Growing Focus on Multi-Omics in Healthcare Propels Market
The biggest driver for the synthetic biology market is the increasing focus of the healthcare sector on multi-omics, which includes the study and application of genetics, DNA, genomics, epigenetics and proteomics.
The understanding and widespread acceptance of the fact that genes govern how patients respond to diseases and treatments are spurred the interest in personalized medicine.
In this approach, before developing a drug and even when diagnosing diseases, a patient’s entire genome is studied.
However, the biggest application of synthetic biology in the healthcare sector is currently biopharmaceuticals, which are drugs made from living tissues and cells.
Biopharmaceuticals, also known as biologics, are already a USD 448.1-billion market, with the potential to reach USD 745.1 billion by 2030.
These agents include monoclonal antibodies, recombinant growth factors, purified proteins, recombinant proteins, recombinant hormones, vaccines, recombinant enzymes, cell and gene therapies, and synthetic immunomodulators.
They are used and are being explored for cancer, inflammatory & infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, metabolic disorders, hormonal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases and several other indications.
As per an article in The Lancet, global consumption of insulin, the first biopharmaceutical ever, is could reach over 800 million vials by 2030.
Additionally, over 500 mAbs are either approved or under investigation for various purposes.
The increasing popularity of biologics drives the demand for consumables, software, and equipment used in synthetic biology experiments and studies.
Ethical Concerns Can Hamper Growth of Market
The biggest challenge for the synthetic biology market is the ethical concerns associated with the end products.
This is because the approach involves modifying living organisms to suit various purposes, which is equivalent of playing with nature.
While genetically modified crops have been approved in many countries and are claimed are having numerous benefits, they could possess an equal number of negative health effects.
The most serious among them could be genetic mutation in those who consume these foods, which the key cause of cancer.
Additionally, several American movies have portrayed the risks of genetic experiments on humans and animals, which, while exaggerated, do not take away from the fact that any such process could cause more harm than benefit.
An extreme consequence of the advances in synthetic biology, one that is already seeing extensive research, is lab-grown children with the genes edited to produce specific traits.
Although the idea is far-fetched, it holds the potential to exterminate all life on earth by disrupting the natural cloning of genes from the parent to offspring.
Synthetic Biology Market Analysis
Insights by Tool
The oligonucleotides & synthetic DNA category accounts for the largest revenue share in 2024, of around 45%. This is mainly ascribed to the high demand for synthetic genes, synthetic RNA, and synthetic DNA for numerous applications in forensic sciences and genetic testing. Synthetically manufactured oligonucleotides act as a molecular tool in the construction of large cell populations having multiple genotypes, therefore aiding in genetic engineering, which is currently high in demand. Apart from research, oligonucleotides have widespread use in the diagnosis of disease and in therapeutic areas.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the use of PCR for the detection and analysis of specific gene sequences, which mainly utilize oligonucleotides as a primer, thereby acting as a catalyst for the market growth. In the biopharmaceutical industry, oligonucleotides are significantly used for allele-specific assays, aptamer designing, and dsDNA binding purposes. Moreover, the increasing adoption of DNA computing, CRISPR gene editing, and mutagenesis experiments are expected to offer lucrative opportunities in the market in the coming years.
In addition, prominent players have been actively involved in the launch of innovative and personalized oligonucleotides & synthetic DNA tools, which offer inexpensive genomic experiments. For instance, OligoMix launched by LC Sciences LLC is 20 times more efficient than conventional oligos, and costs around 0.8 cents per base.
The enzymes category is expected to experience the highest CAGR during the forecast period in the market. This will be on account of the high capability of enzymes in delivering lengthier genes in a very less turnaround time. The alteration of enzymes for their use as synthetic biology tools aids in posttranslational modification and genetic modification, which is the other factor boosting the revenue share of this category. Amylase, xylanase, lipase, and protease are some of the major enzymes being used in pharmaceutical companies for genetic engineering purposes.
The tools analyzed in the report are listed below:
Oligonucleotides and Synthetic DNA (Largest Category)
Enzymes (Fastest-Growing Category)
Cloning Kits
Synthetic Cells
Chassis Organisms
Xeno-Nucleic Acids
Others
Insights by Application
The medical category dominates the market, attributed to the surging use of synthetic biology for the highly sensitive, non-invasive, and real-time detection of numerous infectious agents and cancer cells. The adoption of rational engineering technologies by researchers for the designing of novel bio-sensing systems comprising sensors, reporters, and processors also enhances the market size. In addition, the rise in neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and the efforts taken by key players to develop novel therapies with the aid of synthetic biology are also leading to high demand for synthetic biology in healthcare applications.
In recent times, there has been a breakthrough in the field of medicine with the aid of systematic and rational biological designs in the development of diagnostic methods. Synthetic biology-based diagnostics are dynamic and highly specific for the diagnosis as well as monitoring of metabolic parameters, tumor cells, infectious pathogens, and toxin exposure. The adoption of synthetic biology has revolutionized the healthcare sector in several areas such as drug discovery, monitoring of therapeutics, synthesis of APIs, development of alternate therapies, and vaccine development, thereby leading to high market revenue.
Pharmaceutical applications of synthetic biology are expected to experience the highest CAGR, of around 22%, during 2024–2030 in the market. This can be mainly due to the active involvement of pharma & biotech firms in the development of novel therapeutics for innumerable chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and cirrhosis, with the use of synthetic biology. For instance, Merck & Co. Inc. made use of synthetic biology techniques for the development of Januvia (sitagliptin), which is a type 2 diabetes medicine.
The following applications have been studied:
Medical (Largest Category)
Pharmaceuticals (Fastest-Growing Category)
Industrial
Food & Agriculture
Environmental
Others
Insights by Technology
Sequencing is the largest category in the market. This is attributed to the extensive usage of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to determine the exact nucleotide sequence. This is often the first step in the multi-omics approach and helps drive further studies on genes, their expression, modification, and potential for disfunction or mutation. Sequencing the DNA is becoming increasingly vital in diagnostics, forensics, biomarker & cancer research, precision medicine, and reproductive health.
Genome engineering is the fastest-growing category on account of the rising application of this technology across industries. The CRISPR technology is extensively used to find treatments for diseases with a prominent genetic cause, such as cancer, hyperlipidemia, and neurodegenerative diseases. Other key applications of genome engineering are industrial green chemicals, genetically modified crops, and biofuels.
These technologies are part of the research scope:
Gene Synthesis
Genome Engineering (Fastest-Growing Category)
Sequencing (Largest Category)
Bioinformatics
Site-Directed Mutagenesis
Cloning
Measurement and Modeling
Microfluidics
Nanotechnology
Others
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Regional Analysis
North America leads the synthetic biology market in 2024 primarily due to the rising government projects on countless novel biological compound synthesis, highly developed healthcare infrastructure, the presence of a large number of research laboratories performing their studies on innumerable rare and genetic-based diseases, advancements in genome sequencing, and a large number of synthetic biology patents. In addition, the presence of a large number of prominent players and the rising number of collaborations and product launches by these players in the region are other factors burgeoning the market outlook.
Furthermore, huge investments being made in genomics by both private and public organizations, including in research projects, are fueling the expansion of the market. The U.S. is perceiving huge investments in this field, owing to initiatives done by the NHGRI. These programs aim to recognize various barriers limiting the adoption of genomics in clinical care and formulate the best practices and solutions for achieving their widespread incorporation in the country.
The APAC market is set to register the highest CAGR in the forecast period, due to the rising partnerships and funding by major players and the snowballing collaborations in the field of synthetic biology in the region. The surging number of research activities being carried out in the domain of genomics in China, Japan, and India and the soaring investments being made by public and private organizations are the key factors propelling the advancement of the regional market.
India is one of the largest pharmaceutical hubs in APAC and demands advanced biomanufacturing technologies in various industrial segments. Many global players, such as Thermo Fischer Scientific Inc., are doing partnerships with companies in India to set up their infrastructure and capture a larger market share, which is driving the market growth.
Globally, Europe is the second-highest revenue-generating market, owing to the non-profit establishments that have combined their financial resources to boost the development of RNA-based treatments, in response to the mounting demand for RNA therapies to address unmet medical needs. Also, the increasing need for personalized medicines, for better clinical results and pharmaceutical safety, has assisted the market expansion in the region.
Brazil (Largest and Fastest-Growing Country Market)
Mexico
Rest of LATAM
Middle East and Africa (MEA)
Saudi Arabia (Fastest-Growing Country Market)
South Africa (Largest Country Market)
Rest of MEA
Synthetic Biology Market Share
The synthetic biology market is fragmented as a huge number of applications exist for the associated technologies.
From healthcare and pharmaceuticals to chemicals and agriculture, all sectors are exploring synthetized genes and organisms for a variety of purposes.
This allows a large number of companies to offer differentiated equipment, kits, reagents & other consumables, analytics software, and services to different industries.
Additionally, not all companies offer everything required to isolate, study, and engineer genes, which leads to fragmentation.
Top Providers of Synthetic Biology Solutions:
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
Merck KGaA
Agilent Technologies Inc.
Novonesis Group
GenScript Biotech Corporation
Codexis Inc.
Eurofins Scientific SE
Danaher Corporation
New England Biolabs
Illumina Inc.
Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.
Precigen Inc.
Synthetic Biology Market News
In October 2024, Agilent Technologies Inc. operationalized a center of excellence in cell metabolism with the National University of Singapore. Over the next four years, the center will dedicate itself to advancing translational research on metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Under the partnership, Agilent Technologies will offer its Seahorse XF, xCELLigence, and BioTek technologies to carry out untargeted and targeted metabolic profiling for large population cohorts.
In September 2024, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. inaugurated a new 29,000-square-foot bioanalytical laboratory in GoCo Health Innovation City, Gothenburg, Sweden, which will cater to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
In September 2024, Merck KGaA launched a disposable reactor to quickly manufacture antibody–drug conjugates.
In March 2024, Novonesis Group announced that it will distribute its agricultural biosolutions in Canada through FMC from the 2025 growing season onward.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Report
What is the size of the synthetic biology market in 2024?+
The market for synthetic biology solutions values USD 19,228.9 million in 2024.
What is the nature of the synthetic biology industry?+
The synthetic biology industry is fragmented.
What are the major drivers for the synthetic biology market?+
The market for synthetic biology solutions is driven by the government funding for multi-omics R&D and increasing focus on sustainability.
Which is the fastest-growing application in the synthetic biology industry?+
Pharmaceutical applications have the highest synthetic biology industry CAGR.
Which is the largest region in the synthetic biology market?+
North America leads the market for synthetic biology solutions.
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