Global Aptamers Market Size

Aptamers Market Analysis

The Aptamers Market is expected to register a CAGR of 18.5% over the forecast period.

Globally, COVID-19 is an intractable health challenge resulting in an aberrant rate of morbidity and mortality. The mode of entry for SARS-CoV-2 into host cells occurs through clathrin-mediated endocytosis. As part of the efforts to mitigate COVID-19 infections, rapid and accurate detection methods, as well as vaccine and drug designs with SARS-CoV-2 targeting capabilities are critically needed. According to a research study by Caleb Acquah et al., published in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Journal, January 2021, globally, there is an urgent need to develop safe innovative biomedical technologies to mitigate the direct impact of COVID-19 on public health. Moreover, research advances into aptameric systems bode well with the fact that they can be engineered for the development of effective and affordable diagnostics, therapeutics, and prophylactic vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious pathogens. Furthermore, according to a research study by Vamkudoth Koteswara Rao et al., published in Frontiers in Nanotechnology Journal, February 2021, the study results found that aptamer-based detection is the most specific, inexpensive, and rapid detection of COVID-19 without laboratory tools. In addition, more than 900 SARS-nCoV-2 test kits are in pipeline and a few test kits are developed using Aptamer technology.

Some of the factors that are driving the market growth include high advantage of aptamers compared to antibodies, advancements in the field of aptamer development technologies and growing investment in the companies and research institutes.

Numerous advantages offered by these small molecules, in comparison to established antibodies, have also led to higher demand for these molecules across a diverse range of medical applications. They are chemically synthesized, which eliminates batch-to-batch variation and demands less time for development. Along with this, continuous advancement in technologies is expected to stimulate market growth. According to a research study by Geanina Ștefan et al., published in Electrochimica Acta Journal April 2021, the study results found that aptamers have come into the spotlight as bio-mimetic molecular recognition elements in the field of biomedicine due to various applications in diagnostics, drug delivery, therapeutics, and pharmaceutical analysis. Aptamers are composed of nucleic acid strands (DNA or RNA) that can specifically interact in a three-dimensional tailored design with the target molecule.

The market players are adopting various strategies such as product launches, developments. collaborations, partnerships, and expansions to increase market share. For instance, in August 2020, Aptamer Sciences Inc., in co-operation with POSTECH, discovered a number of aptamers that specifically bind to the COVID-19 spike protein using ViroSELEX technology, a unique aptamer discovery technology, and applied for a material patent. However, many aptamers have failed to meet the requisite safety and efficacy standards in clinical studies. Thus, companies had to terminate their clinical investigation during late-stage clinical studies. This factor is likely to affect the growth of this market negatively. In addition, other factors, such as unfavorable pharmacokinetic properties of aptamers and low awareness level and incomplete regulatory policies, may hamper the overall market growth.