Live cell encapsulation Market - by Polymer Type (Natural {Alginate, Chitosan}, Synthetic), By Method (Microencapsulation, Macroencapsulation, Nanoencapsulation), By Application (Drug Delivery, Cell Transplantation) & Forecast, 2023 – 2032

Live Cell Encapsulation Market Size

Live Cell Encapsulation Market size was valued at around USD 251 million in 2022 and is estimated to register over 3.8% CAGR between 2023 and 2032. In the process of live cell encapsulation, living cells are enclosed in a protective structure or material. Thus, the ability to release cells or other bioactive compounds under regulated conditions is one of the main benefits of live cell encapsulation. It is especially helpful in cell-based therapies, in which it is intended to transport therapeutic cells to a specific area of the body while shielding them from the immune response of the host. Such associated benefit will supplement the demand of live cell encapsulation.
 

Moreover, increasing application of live cell encapsulation in the development of therapeutics for various chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases is anticipated to promote the market growth during the forecast period. For instance, live cell encapsulation is utilised to give insulin-producing cells to diabetic patients and used to provide dopamine-producing cells to Parkinson's disease patients. Such factor will drive the market growth.
 

Live cell encapsulation also known as cell encapsulation, is a technique where living cells are trapped into a beads/membrane, a selectively permeable polymeric material. This makes encapsulated cell a potential tool for the treatment of various human illnesses such as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, lysosomal storage disease (LSD), hemophilia, and cancer.
 

COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on the live cell encapsulation market. The unexpected COVID-19 outbreak prompted an increase in research and development efforts to create treatments and vaccines employing cutting-edge technology including encapsulation. Also, the COVID-19 infection increased the number of investigations on the acute or chronic organ damage brought on by the virus. The damages are treated using tissue engineering techniques, such as live cell encapsulation. For instance, live cell encapsulation is used to treat liver injury (post hitting the virus) by increasing cell viability and proliferation rate. Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic had a favourable effect on the market since encapsulation technology was used for COVID-19-related research at a higher rate.
 

Live Cell Encapsulation Market Trends

The increasing prevalence of target diseases is supplementing the demand for replacing damaged or diseased tissues. The demand for tissue grafts is outpacing the supply, thus regenerative medicine is increasing rapidly to meet the demand. For instance, the 3D environment offered by hydrogel encapsulation for cells enables the maintenance of normal cells to build tissues identical to those seen in the body. Additionally, live cell encapsulation gives a novel and superior route in tissue engineering to overcome the rejection of transplanted tissues. As a result, the growing use of live cell encapsulation in regenerative medicine is expected to boost the market growth. Furthermore, the live cell encapsulation has proven to be an appropriate treatment strategy for various diseases, such as anemia, diabetes, heart failure, and cancer. Thus, the increasing prevalence of such diseases will accelerate the market expansion.
 

Live Cell Encapsulation Market Restraint

The manufacturing cost of live cell encapsulation can be quite high due to several factors. The production of the capsule or microspheres require specialized equipment and expertise which can be costly. Also, the cell used in the encapsulation process are often delicate and require careful handling and processing which will also add up to the cost of manufacturing. Another factor contributes to the cost of live cell encapsulation is the regulatory requirement that must be made to ensure the safety and efficacy of the final product. This can involve extensive testing and validation that can be time consuming and expensive.
 

Live Cell Encapsulation Market Analysis

Based on polymer type, the live cell encapsulation market is segmented as natural polymers and synthetic polymers. The natural polymers segment further divided into alginate, chitosan, cellulose, and others. The natural polymers segment held a majority market value of USD 177.5 million in 2022. Natural polymers are large-molecular-weight macromolecules sourced from nature and are preferred because they are non-toxic, biodegradable, renewable, biocompatible, and adaptable to changes. Such benefits associated with natural polymers made it the key choice for cell encapsulation. Since they have a natural origin, such as bacteria, animals, and plants, they can interact with cells and tissues by displaying characteristics that the body recognises and as a result, they does not perceive them as foreign objects. Thus, to transport and deliver hydrophobic or hydrophilic active components, which may be in solid, liquid, or gaseous phases, to the needed places, natural polymers, such as lipids, proteins, and polysaccharides have been used as an encapsulation.
 

Based on method, live cell encapsulation market is segmented as microencapsulation, macroencapsulation, and nanoencapsulation. The microencapsulation held a dominant market share of around 66.8% in 2022 and is expected to grow at a significant pace during the analysis period. Microencapsulation is a formulation process that encapsulates bioactive substances at particle sizes ranging from 1 to 1000 μm in diameter for controlled and sustained delivery and protection of the bioactive compound protected from the surrounding environment. This method comprises various applications in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and respiratory infections. For instance, the islets of Langerhans are microencapsulated and implanted for the long-term treatment of diabetes or another disease requiring an organ transplant. Thus, increasing therapeutic applications of the microencapsulation method is anticipated to foster the market statistics.
 

Based on application, the live cell encapsulation market is segmented as drug delivery, regenerative medicine, cell transplantation, and others. The drug delivery segment held a dominant market share in 2022 and is expected to grow at a significant pace of 4.3% between 2023 to 2032. Live cell encapsulation technique is used in the manufacturing of tablets, capsules, and parenteral dosage forms for efficient drug delivery. Controlled drug delivery comprises great potential in many diseases with deteriorative progression. Therefore, the benefits of controlled drug delivery by living cell encapsulation, such as reduced drug dose, improved therapeutic efficacy, improved patient compliance and convenience, reduced cytotoxicity, is accelerating the segmental growth. Furthermore, growing research programs to determine the clinical efficacy of the live cell encapsulation process, is anticipated to supplement the market growth.
 

U.S. live cell encapsulation market value surpassed USD 79.4 million in 2022. This majority market share is attributable to the increasing prevalence of diabetes. For instance, according to the National Diabetes Statistics Report 2022, more than 37 million people of all ages (11.3% of the U.S. population) had diabetes, but 8.5 million adults (23% of adults with diabetes) were not aware of having diabetes. Among those aged 65 years or older, the percentage of adults with diabetes increased to 29.2%. Thus, the growing number of diabetes cases creates a great opportunity for market participants to provide a new live cell encapsulated drug to treat people with diabetes, which is expected to promote market expansion.
 

Additionally, presence of key operating players coupled with increasing clinical trial studies for product launch will supplement the regional growth. For instance, in February 2021, ViaCyte, Inc. announced the initiation of phase 2 clinical study of encapsulated cell therapy for type 1 diabetes patients. Such factor is expected to proliferate the regional market growth.
 

Live Cell Encapsulation Market Share

Some of the major market players operating in the live cell encapsulation market are:

• Austrianova
• Merck KGaA
• Sphere Fluidics Limited
• Blacktrace Holdings Ltd
• BIO INX
• Isogen
   

These players focus on strategic partnerships, new product launch & commercialization for market expansion. Furthermore, these players are heavily investing in research that allows them to introduce innovative products and garner maximum revenue in the market.
 

Live Cell Encapsulation Industry News:

• In March 2023, SG Austria (Austrianova) announced that Checkmate Capital Group, a multi-family investment and advisory group based in California, has made a preferred equity investment in SG Austria, the parent company of Austrianova. This investment helped the company to expand and grow.
   
• In November 2022, BIO INX launched Hydrobio INX N400, the first commercially available bioresin enabling live cell encapsulation in healthcare 3D printing with Nanoscribe’s two-photon polymerization technology. This strategy helped the company to expand their product portfolio and customer base.
   

The live cell encapsulation market research report includes an in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue in USD Million from 2018 to 2032, for the following segments:

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By Polymer Type

• Natural Polymers
• Alginate
• Chitosan
• Cellulose
• Others 
• Synthetic Polymers

By Method

• Microencapsulation
• Macroencapsulation
• Nanoencapsulation

By Application

• Drug Delivery
• Regenerative Medicine
• Cell Transplantation
• Other Applications

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany
  • UK
  • France
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Poland
  • Switzerland
  • Netherlands
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • Japan
  • China
  • India
  • Australia
  • South Korea
  • Thailand
  • Indonesia
  • Vietnam
  • Rest of Asia Pacific 
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Peru
  • Rest of Latin America 
• Middle East & Africa
  • South Africa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE
  • Israel
  • Rest of MEA