CRISPR and CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

Market Overview

The CRISPR and CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes Market was estimated to be USD 1,563.52 million in 2020 and is poised to grow at a CAGR of 15.67% to reach USD 3,733.66 million by the year 2026.

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have a positive impact on the market due to an increase in demand for COVID-19 diagnostic tests. In May 2020, Sherlock Biosciences announced that it had received Emergency Use Authorization from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Sherlock CRISPR SARS-CoV-2 kit which is used for the detection of the virus that causes COVID-19. The Sherlock CRISPR SARS-CoV-2 kit could provide results in approximately one hour, a timeframe that was much lower than the other tests available in the market at that time. In December 2020, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, UC Berkeley, and the Gladstone Institutes announced a collaboration to develop a new CRISPR-based test for COVID-19 by turning a basic smartphone camera into a microscope capable of detecting the coronavirus’ genetic material. Initiatives such as these are expected to have a positive effect on the market for CRISPR and CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes.

The other major factor attributing to the growth of the market include the increasing adoption of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in genome editing and other biotechnological areas. CRISPR witnessed growth over the past few years from discovery of its role in adaptive immunity in bacteria to its development into a potent and accessible tool in genetics. CRISPR technology is driving advances in genome editing across medicine, biotechnology, and agriculture, which has enabled scientists to conduct research in these field through faster and more efficient genome editing across the world. The demand for CRISPR technology is on the rise due to its easy, fast, and inexpensive access to vectors and the resulting next-generation tools made available by the nonprofit plasmid repository Addgene. According to “The CRISPR Journal” as of January 2018, Addgene distributed more than 100,000 CRISPR plasmids to 3,400 laboratories worldwide; additionally, more than 6,300 CRISPR-related plasmids were developed by over 330 research labs and added into Addgene's collection. Initiatives and collaborative engagements such as these by companies are expected to have a positive effect on the market.

Furthermore, the growing investments in research and development programs by biotechnology companies and non-profit organizations is boosting the market growth. For example, in December 2020, CRISPR Therapeutics announced that it had received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for research into in vivo gene editing therapies which can be used for the treatment of HIV. Again, in January 2020, Mammoth Biosciences announced that it had received USD 45 million in the latest round of its Series B funding. The funding was expected to help in the further development of CRISPR diagnostics and next-generation CRISPR products for the company.

Scope of the Report

As per the scope of the CRISPR and CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes market, CRISPR-Cas9, which is an acronym for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9 is a microbial adaptive immune system against viruses and plasmids, that gives scientists the ability to change an organism's DNA (genome editing).

The CRISPR and CRISPR-associated (Cas) Genes market is segmented by Product (Vector-based Cas and DNA-free Cas), Application (Genome Engineering, Disease Models, Functional Genomics and Others), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The report offers the value (in USD million) for the above segments.

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Key Market Trends

Genome Engineering Segment Holds the Largest Share in the Market

The largest share of the segment in the market growth is accredited to the increasing adoption of genome editing techniques for germline alterations and therapeutic development. The CRISPR genome engineering system uses a nuclease, CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9), that complexes with small guide RNAs (gRNAs) to cleave DNA in a sequence-specific manner upstream of the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) in any genomic location.

Numerous Cas proteins bind to nucleic acids, making the CRISPR system a tool for genomic engineering. Amongst the Cas proteins, Cas 9 is the most commonly used for genome engineering and regulation. Recent progress in developing other associated programmable nucleases, such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) has significantly expedited the progress of genome engineering. The biggest advantage of CRISPR and Cas9 over other genome editing technologies is their simplicity and efficiency. As they can be applied directly in embryos, CRISPR and Cas9 genes reduce the time required to modify target genes compared to conventional gene targeting technologies based on the use of embryonic stem (ES) cells. Genome engineering using CRISPR-Cas9 editing is a relatively inexpensive way of deleting, silencing or otherwise modifying a gene or region. The availability of improved bioinformatics tools — to identify the most appropriate sequences to design guide RNAs — and optimization of the experimental conditions enable robust procedures which can provide successful introduction of the desired mutation. Due to these factors, the genome engineering segment is expected to see significant growth.

CRISPR also holds the ability to become an alternative biotechnology treatment for supplementing or a substitute for existing single-antibody drugs. Genome editing that is meant to switch on the immune response for targeting cancer is expected to drive industrial growth significantly. The variety of available Cas proteins and the flexibility of guide RNA production make this technique a powerful system for all applications of genome editing. Furthermore, the increasing fundings allocated for the biotechnology and genomics research and development programs are driving the growth of the market.

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