Global Biosensors Market: Key Players, Technology, and Growth

Global Biosensors Market Dynamics

Driven by the need for better methods for environmental monitoring and rapid pathogen detection, the biosensors industry has been expanding rapidly. This expansion encompasses non-clinical applications such as biodefense, environmental surveillance, and the food industry.

This is a diversified and competitive market with a large number of players. The Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostics market currently holds the largest presence among all end-user segments of biosensors.

Key Market Players

• Roche Diagnostics Limited (U.K.)
• Alere Inc. (U.S.)
• Siemens Healthcare (Germany)
• Beckman Coulter, Inc. (U.S.)

Market Segmentation by Product

• Wearable Biosensors:
  • Wrist wear
  • Eye wear
  • Foot wear
  • Neck wear
  • Body wear
  • Others (ingestible and smart implants)
• Non-wearable Biosensors

Market Segmentation by Technology

• Electrochemical Biosensors:

  The electrochemical biosensors segment accounted for the largest share of over 70% of the global biosensors market in 2013. Factors contributing to this growth include the high prevalence of diabetes and other chronic diseases, and the growing demand for quick and reliable analytical methods.

• Optical Biosensors:

  The optical biosensors segment is projected to witness the fastest growth rate of over 8% from 2014 to 2020. This growth is driven by the increasing need for rapid screening and monitoring of environmental pollutants for the benefit of human health.

• Piezoelectric
• Thermal
• Others (Luminometric and Fiber optics)

Market Segmentation by Application

• Medical Applications:

  Medical biosensors are used to analyze biological components with the help of physicochemical detectors. These biosensors monitor health status, disease progression, and therapeutic treatment outcomes through invasive and non-invasive methods. Medical biosensors are primarily used in cholesterol detection, pathogen detection, muscle displacement, and cerebrospinal detection.

• Food Toxicity Detection:
  • Detection of heavy metals
  • Detection of residual agrochemicals
  • Detection of toxic metabolites
  • Foodborne pathogen detection
  • Assuring food safety
  • Detection of unpermitted chemicals
  • Sensory analysis
• Industrial Process Control
• Agriculture
• Environmental Monitoring:
  • Water pollution analysis
  • Industrial emissions analysis
  • Microbial analysis in agriculture
  • Toxic gas analysis
  • Clean room monitoring
• Other Applications:
  • Bio-defense (biological weapon detection, explosives detection, inflammables detection, poisonous gases)
  • Drug abuse prevention

Market Segmentation by End Users

• Point-of-Care Testing (POC):
  • Handheld
  • Portable
  • Benchtop
  • Transportable
  • Monitoring
  • Disposable
• Home Healthcare Diagnostics
• Research Laboratories
• Security
• Bio-defense
• Food Industry

Benefits of Point-of-Care Diagnostics

POC testing offers significant advantages, including:

• Speed
• Portability
• Convenience
• Connectivity
• Quality assurance
• Decreased laboratory workload
• Sample quality assurance