Microbiome Sequencing Services Market Size

Microbiome Sequencing Services Market Analysis

The Microbiome Sequencing Services Market size is estimated at USD 1.71 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 2.36 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 6.70% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several studies were focused on the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the health of the human population. The microbiome sequencing services have extensively helped in studying the COVID-19 impact on the human microbiome. For instance, an article published in the Journal of Frontiers in Medicine in March 2021 explored the direct and indirect influences of the pandemic on the gut microbiome and how these can affect research and clinical trials. 

The study showed an extensive interaction between the gut microbiome and the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The disrupted gut microbiome contributed to the course and severity of COVID-19, as the loss of beneficial microbes, the proliferation of potentially harmful microbes, and the reduction of microbial diversity contributed to the worsening of health. Thus, the increased use of microbiome sequencing services during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the growth of the market. However, as the pandemic has subsided currently, the usage of microbiome sequencing is stable due to increased focus on research of other diseases. Thus, the studied market is expected to have normal growth during the forecast period of the study.

Major factors that are driving the market growth include huge investment in microbiome research, a rise in demand for NGS services, the surge in genomic research, and the widening application area of microbiome sequencing.

The increasing demand for Next-Generation Sequencing is a major factor attributing to the growth of the microbiome sequencing services market. For instance, an article published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in April 2022 indicated that Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has advanced the understanding of the human microbiome by allowing for the discovery and characterization of unculturable microbes with the prediction of their function. Such innovations in the next-generation sequencing services are expected to boost the growth of the microbiome sequencing services market.

The rise in genomic research all over the world is also contributing to the growth of the microbiome sequencing services market in the forecast period. For instance, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute of the United States National Institute of Health, data on Genomic Data Science updated in April 2022, indicated that as biomedical research projects and large-scale collaborations grow rapidly, the amount of genomic data being generated is also increasing, with roughly 2 to 40 billion gigabytes of data being generated every year. A large number of research and development projects in genomic research are adding to the growth of the microbiome sequencing services market.

Additionally, in June 2021, Illumina and Microba Life Sciences launched a partnership to improve the understanding of the human gut microbiome in human health and diseases. The partnership will combine Illumina's revolutionary NGS tools and Microba's high-quality proprietary gut microbiome analysis platform to produce the accurate metagenomic data required by researchers to fuel discoveries. Such research collaborations are also adding to the growth of the studied market.

Thus, the aforementioned factors, such as the increasing genomic research, innovations in NGS technology, and the rising developments by market players, are expected to boost the market growth. However, ethical and legal issues related to genome sequencing and the lack of skilled technicians for NGS data analysis are hindering the growth of the microbiome sequencing services market in the forecast period.