Research Antibodies Market Size, Share & Trend Analysis Report By Product (Primary Antibodies), By Type (Monoclonal Antibodies), By Technology, By Source, By Application, By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2024 - 2033

The global research antibodies market size was exhibited at USD 2.59 billion in 2023 and is projected to hit around USD 4.13 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 4.78% during the forecast period 2024 to 2033.

Key Takeaways:

• North America dominated the market in 2023 by capturing the largest revenue share of 40.0%.
• The primary antibodies segment captured the highest revenue share of 75.0% in 2023.
• Monoclonal antibodies segment accounted for the dominant share of the market in 2023.
• Western blotting segment accounted for the largest market share in 2023.
• The rabbit source segment held the largest market share in 2023. 
• Oncology segment accounted for the largest market share in 2023,
• The academic & research institutions segment captured the highest revenue share in 2023

Research Antibodies Market Report Scope

B cells are responsible for producing antibodies, which are essential components of the human immune system. These molecules are ideal probes for studying cells since they can attach themselves to particular molecules and can be employed to separate or identify important chemicals found in cells. These attributes of antibodies are anticipated to drive their adoption in various research applications in the near future. The outbreak of COVID-19 has created lucrative opportunities in the research antibodies market. Several leading pharmaceutical companies are investing heavily in R&D to create brand-new vaccinations, treatments, and testing tools for this pandemic.

The need for research antibodies has greatly increased as a result of these intense R&D operations for the development of novel vaccination and therapy techniques. Additionally, a number of public and commercial entities are making significant efforts to fund the development of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. For instance, in April 2020, Emergent BioSolutions, a biopharmaceutical company, received USD 14.5 million from the federal government to work on an antibody therapy study for COVID-19.

In addition, antibodies are currently one of the most crucial tools for research projects exploring the functions of various proteins in cells. The prevalence of neurodegenerative conditions including Huntington's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease is fueling research prospects aimed at better understanding of such diseases. Furthermore, the increase in geriatric population and a dearth of remedies for chronic diseases have also contributed to a sharp increase in demand for research antibodies to create customized medicines, cutting-edge pharmaceuticals, and novel & effective treatments.

One of the key reasons fueling the growth of the market for research antibodies is the increase in demand for high-quality antibodies for reproducible research. The market is also witnessing growth due to the expanding landscape of proteomics and genomics research as well as increased research and development efforts in the life sciences domain. Furthermore, the market is also influenced by the rise of industry-academia partnerships as well as the expanding stem cell research and neurobiology research fields to provide for the unmet medical needs across the globe.

In addition, an increase in funding for research initiatives from for-profit and nonprofit groups, as well as rising focus on biomarker development and outsourcing interests is driving the market growth. Moreover, the growing demand for protein therapies and personalized medicine are opening new market opportunities and present lucrative growth prospects for the research antibodies market players over the forecast period. For instance, in 2021, Thermo Fisher acquired PPD, extending its value proposition for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients with the addition of PPD's top clinical research services. Such endeavors by biotechnology corporations are anticipated to boost the market growth.

Market Concentration & Characteristics

The market growth stage is low, and pace of the market growth is accelerating. The market is witnessing increasing investments in the development of novel research-use only (RUO) antibodies. Furthermore, with the rise in demand for innovative research-use only products for application areas such as flow cytometry, cell signaling, epigenetics, etc., research antibodies are expected to witness significant growth in near future.

Key innovations in the market are driving advancements in specificity, sensitivity, and multiplexing capabilities of research antibodies. Novel technologies are enhancing antibody performance and enable researchers to explore complex biological processes which is likely to contribute towards market growth.

Several key players are undertaking mergers and acquisitions in this industry to maintain their market presence. For instance, in December 2023, Danaher acquired Abcam for USD 5.7 billion to strengthen its product portfolio and increase customer reach. Such strategies are anticipated to drive the growth of research antibodies market over the forecast period.

Regulations in this market include guidelines for enhancing data reproducibility and trust in experimental outcomes. However, navigating complex regulatory landscapes can pose challenges for companies, impacting product development timelines and costs in research and development activities.

The market has moderate to high levels of product and regional expansion. Increasing availability of product offerings, such as primary and secondary antibodies, across various geographies is enhancing experimental flexibility and accuracy. This expansion is anticipated to propel scientific discoveries by providing researchers with a more comprehensive range of tools for varied applications.

Product Insights

The primary antibodies segment captured the highest revenue share of 75.0% in 2023, and is also projected to grow at the fastest rate throughout the forecast period. This can be attributed to increasing availability of primary antibodies using rabbit, mouse, goat, and other species as host, and the wide range of utility offered by such antibodies for applications in the R&D space. Also, owing to the usage of primary antibodies for frequently performed laboratory procedures, such as staining and imaging, the segment is predicted to grow at an exponential rate.

The secondary antibodies segment is expected to grow at a significant CAGR from 2024 to 2033 as these are more convenient and cost-effective to develop. Demand for secondary research antibodies is also anticipated to increase due to the availability of ready-to-use conjugated antibodies that can improve product development activities by assisting in the identification, grouping, and purification of targeted antigens. For instance, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. provides fluorescent dye-conjugated secondary antibodies that make it easier to identify proteins in a variety of applications, including immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and fluorescent cell imaging, among others.

Type Insights

Monoclonal antibodies segment accounted for the dominant share of the market in 2023, due to a sharp increase in the number of cancer research projects that demand high specificity antibodies. As monoclonal antibodies can efficiently adhere to or block antigens on cancer cells, these are employed in the identification and development of new medicines for various cancer types. This factor is expected to expand the growth prospects for the segment in the near future.

Polyclonal antibodies are projected to grow at lucrative CAGR over the forecast period as these antibody structures are essential for the research aspects focusing on purification of antigens and examination of histopathological tissue. Furthermore, polyclonal antibodies provide benefits like stability, practical storage methods, strong affinity, and excellent compatibility for ELISA and western blotting technologies, thereby propelling the market growth.

Technology Insights

Western blotting segment accounted for the largest market share in 2023, due to the widespread availability and adoption of the technique. In addition, due to the increased accuracy that the western blotting technique offers, it is typically chosen over alternative technologies for applications involving the detection of important protein entities. These attributes are expected to positively affect the segment growth.

Immunohistochemistry segment is projected to grow at the fastest CAGR from 2024 to 2033. The segment is anticipated to expand steadily due to its significant applications in detection of enzymes, antigens, tumor suppressor genes, and tumor cell growth for cell-based research. Additionally, rising R&D spending and a high level of scientific awareness regarding the technique have led to increasing growth prospects for immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, benefits provided by the technique, such as high sensitivity & simplicity of use, are some of the factors anticipated to drive the market growth.

Source Insights

The rabbit source segment held the largest market share in 2023. Rabbits are extensively used for antibody production, owing to several advantages such as higher affinity antibodies provided by rabbits as compared to those obtained from other animal hosts. Furthermore, higher specificity provided by these antibodies makes them ideal for detection of small molecules, hormones, toxins and other biologically important substances.

Mouse source segment is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR from 2024 to 2033. Mice have been predominantly used in production of antibodies due their high reproduction rate and smaller size. Furthermore, the main factor influencing their widespread use is the structural similarity between mouse and human antibodies, which can significantly drive their adoption for R&D applications.

Application Insights

Oncology segment accounted for the largest market share in 2023, owing to rise in prevalence of cancer in key geographies. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2021, over 1.9 million new cancer cases were estimated to be recorded in the U.S. Additionally, over 608,570 cancer deaths were also recorded in the same year in the U.S. As a result, more research antibodies will likely be used for designing and evaluation of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for mitigation of cancer.

Stem cells segment is expected to witness the fastest CAGR from 2024 to 2033 owing to increase in number of stem cell research activities globally. The growth is also attributable to increase in adoption of stem cells for the treatment of a wide range of chronic ailments such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and kidney and lung diseases. Furthermore, antibodies are also used for stem cell research areas that include disease modeling, developmental biology, drug screening, reprogramming techniques development, and cell therapy that can positively affect the market growth.

End-use Insights

The academic & research institutions segment captured the highest revenue share in 2023 and is projected to grow at the fastest growth rate throughout the forecast period. This can be attributed to the increase in scientific initiatives by such centers for development of novel therapies and tests for chronic diseases. For instance, in January 2021, researchers at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB Health) and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) discovered two novel antibodies CoV2-06 and CoV2-14 for a potential novel antibody therapy for COVID-19 infection. Such initiatives can positively affect the segment growth in the near future.

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies end-use segment is expected to grow at a significant CAGR over the forecast period due to the increase in R&D activities in life sciences domain. Furthermore, the increasing importance of antibodies for development of novel biologic products and rising demand for quality control applications for various techniques, such as PCR and electrophoresis, are likely to boost the segment growth.

Regional Insights

North America dominated the market in 2023 by capturing the largest revenue share of 40.0%. Growing emphasis on biomedical, stem cells, as well as cancer research, is a major contributor to its large market share. Presence of key players such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. and PerkinElmer, Inc. among others and increasing number of biotechnology & biopharmaceutical firms in the region that focus on life sciences innovation are expected to drive the market growth.

The market in the Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR from 2024 to 2033 due to an increase in collaborative activities among academic institutions. For instance, scientists from Tsinghua University, China Medical University, and the Vaccine Research Center at the NIH are currently conducting a research study on the identification and characterization of HIV-1 strains as well as their robust and widespread resistance to a variety of neutralizing antibodies. The National Natural Science Foundation Award, China's Ministry of Science and Technology, and Gates Foundation Grand Challenges China all supported this project. As a result, such government-funded scientific activities in the region are anticipated to drive the market growth.

Recent Developments

• In July 2023, Bio-Techne Corporation announced the completion of acquisition of Lunaphore. The intent of this business decision was to augment the companies’ spatial biology leadership in the fields of translational and clinical research.
• In June 2023, Cell Signaling Technology (CST) announced its partnership with Lunaphore. This initiative was aimed at enabling the deployment of CST antibodies on the COMET platform by Lunaphore for strengthening fully-automated spatial biology.
• In April 2023, Abcam teamed up with Lunaphore to co-commercialize primary antibodies from Abcam. These antibodies were precisely validated for use on the COMET platform by Lunaphore.
• In February 2023, Cell Signaling Technology entered into a partnership with Bio-Techne. This deal was aimed at the inclusion of Bio-Techne’s Simple Western validation to CST antibodies.
• In March 2022, Sysmex America, Inc., expanded its reagents portfolio for single-color antibodies, cell stains and buffering solutions and introduced several new products in this domain.

Some of the prominent players in the Research antibodies market include:

• Abcam Plc.
• Merck KGaA
• Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.
• Cell Signalling Technology, Inc.
• Santa Cruz Biotechnology Inc.
• PerkinElmer, Inc.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company
• Bio-Techne Corporation
• Proteintech Group, Inc.
• Jackson ImmunoResearch Inc.

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2021 to 2033. For this study, Nova one advisor, Inc. has segmented the global research antibodies market.

Product

• Primary Antibodies
• Secondary Antibodies

Type

• Monoclonal Antibodies
• Polyclonal Antibodies

Technology

• Immunohistochemistry
• Immunofluorescence
• Western Blotting
• Flow Cytometry
• Immunoprecipitation
• ELISA
• Others

Source

• Mouse
• Rabbit
• Goat
• Others

Application

• Infectious Diseases
• Immunology
• Oncology
• Stem Cells
• Neurobiology
• Others

End Use

• Academic & Research Institutes
• Contract Research Organizations
• Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies

By Region

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East & Africa (MEA)