Whole Slide Imaging Market Size

Whole Slide Imaging Market Analysis

The Whole Slide Imaging Market size is estimated at USD 1.21 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 1.65 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 6.39% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

COVID-19 significantly impacted the global whole slide imaging market due to the increased research studies conducted to identify COVID-19 strains using whole slide imaging (WSI). For instance, in an article published in March 2023 in PubMed, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services waived the requirement for pathologists to perform diagnostic tests in Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-licensed facilities during the pandemic, which led to the rapid implementation of WSI across all surgical pathology subspecialties in the United States. Thus, the increased demand and implementation of WSI in laboratories significantly impacted the market's growth during the pandemic. In the coming years, the market is expected to witness healthy growth owing to the advancements in whole slide imaging and the rise in research and development utilizing whole slide imaging techniques.

The key factors propelling the whole slide imaging (WSI) market are an increase in research and development in drug discovery processes, technological advancements in whole slide imaging, and the rising popularity of virtual slides compared to physical slides.

Also, the increasing incidence of cancer is expected to drive the growth of the overall market since advanced image analysis can lead to automated examination of histopathology images, which is essential for fast cancer diagnosis. For instance, according to the American Cancer Society 2023 Cancer Statistics, the estimated new number of cancer cases is 1.9 million in the United States in 2023. This estimation includes 1.01 million males and 948,000 cases of females. A significant burden of cancer cases can increase the demand for WSI since WSI scans assist doctors in analyzing larger areas to detect malignant cells or other mutations in a specific tissue, which is further expected to fuel the market growth over the study period.

Furthermore, an increase in research activities and the presence of key players and their strategic activities are expected to bolster the market growth over the study period. For instance, in March 2023, OptraSCAN, an end-to-end digital pathology solution provider, launched the OnDemand Digital Pathology solution that offers complete digital transformation of pathology laboratories in North America. Similarly, using whole slide imaging in various chronic diseases is expected to raise the demand for WSI and bolster market growth. For instance, according to an article published in June 2022 in PubMed, whole slide imaging-based systems were helpful in digitally frozen sections at cancer centers.

Thus, owing to the high number of chronic diseases, an increase in the adoption of WSI in malignant tissue detection and strategic product launches by the key players are expected to bolster the market growth over the study period. However, stringent regulatory approvals and the high cost of whole slide imaging systems are expected to hinder market growth.