Although animal models are widely used in biological studying, they carry several disadvantages such as the possibility of harm to animals and challenges in confirming result accuracy due to differences in species, disease mechanisms, and drug responses. To mitigate these challenges, 3D cell culture methods are widely employed. The cancer segment dominated the global market owing to the use of 3-dimensional cellular models for studying cancer biology in preclinical testing and screening.
Within the report, the market is segmented into product, application, end-user, and geography. By product, the market is segmented into scaffold based, scaffold free, 3D bioprinting and magnetic levitation, and microfluidics based. By application, the market is categorized into drug discovery, regenerative medicines, and cancer and stem cell research. Based on end-user, the market is divided into pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies, research institutes, and others. Geographically, the market is subsegmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South & Central America, and Middle East & Africa.
3D cell culture is a novel technique in which cells are grown in artificial environment, which closely mimics the construction and functioning of the native tissue. 3D cell culture technique aids in stimulating cell differentiation, proliferation, and migration by relating with their three-dimensional surroundings as in case of in-vivo environment. As 3D cell cultures can mimic the structure, activity, and microenvironment of the in-vivo tissues, this technique has varied applications in drug screening, regenerative medicine, stem cell therapies, cancer research, and cell biology.
Recent technological advancements have enabled microfluidics in 3D cell culture to design microenvironments that support tissue differentiation and mimics the tissue-tissue interface, spatiotemporal chemical gradients, and mechanical microenvironments of living organs. This organ-on-a-chip model allows the study of human physiology in an organ-specific context, which allows the growth of in vitro disease models and eventually helps as a additional for animal models in drug development and toxicity testing.
The rise in demand for scaffold-based technology and the increase in the awareness of nanotechnology in the field of biomedical research and its wide range of applications provide significant opportunities for the growth of the segment. In 2020, the National Institutes of Health declared an investment of around USD 445 Million in nanomedicine. In addition, the National Nanotechnology Initiative got more than USD 1.7 Billion in funding in the year 2021, which will boost the expansion of the 3D cell culture scaffold market.
The 3D cell culture market has undergone several significant developments, and a few of these have been mentioned below:
Several players drive the 3D cell culture market by implementing strategic activities such as investments, new launches, mergers & acquisitions, and partnerships. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Merck KGaA, Corning Incorporated, Lonza Group AG, Avantor Inc., Tecan Trading AG, and REPROCELL Inc. are among the prominent players operating in the market.
In this report, the market has been segmented on the basis of: