Europe Cell Culture Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Consumables, and Instruments), By Application (Biopharmaceutical Production, Drug Development, Diagnostics), By Country, And Segment Forecasts, 2024 - 2030

Europe Cell Culture Market Size & Trends

The Europe cell culture market was valued at USD 5.93 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.62% from 2024-2030. The growth of the Europe cell culture market can be attributed to the increasing prevalence of chronic & infectious diseases (including COVID-19) and the rapid adoption of cell culture techniques for the vaccine manufacturing. Moreover, the rising demand for advanced therapy medicinal products is expected to boost the market demand over the forecast period.

Moreover, technological advancements are helping expand the scope of applications. With the help of technology, companies are able to launch high-yield cell lines and optimize culture conditions to enhance productivity and scalability. Such advancements in cell culture technology are expected to boost market growth. For instance, in May 2023, Berlin-based ProBioGen launched Lenti.RiGHT, a Lentivirus (LV) packaging cell line, that set a new platinum standard for Lentivirus production. Besides this, emerging technologies such as 3D cell culture and scaffold-based approaches are being developed to engineer complex tissues and organs in the lab. Furthermore, several companies have launched products with these emerging techniques. For instance, in August 2021, Amerigo Scientific announced  the launch of its 3D cell culture products for research areas such as drug discovery and nanomaterials.

Furthermore, the availability of various types of media, like specialty and stem cell culture media for research purposes, is boosting their adoption by research and academic institutions and other organizations, which is expected to contribute to the market growth. Moreover, Customized media formulations are being designed to meet the specific requirements of individual customers, offering tailored nutrient compositions, growth factors, or supplements. These tailored media solutions enable companies to optimize cell culture processes, enhance productivity, and achieve desired product quality attributes. Major companies in this space are strengthening their product lines by launching new products. For instance, in September 2022, Cell Culture  Technologies expanded its product portfolio with the launch of 18 new custom media offerings. Thus, the increasing launches of cell culture products like media, reagents and instruments are anticipated to fuel market growth in the coming years.

Market Concentration & Characteristics

Europe cell culture market is characterized by a high degree of innovation, with new technologies and novel equipment being developed and introduced at regular intervals. Companies are focusing on launching various types of innovative media solutions and other equipment like cell sorting and Centrifuge equipment to keep up with the demand.

Several market players, such as Sartorius AG, Avantor, Inc., and Danaher, are involved in acquisition activities. Through such activities, these companies can expand their geographic reach and increase their production capacities.

Cell culture products intended for clinical or commercial use must comply with rigorous quality and safety standards set by regulatory authorities. These standards may include Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and quality control measures to ensure the consistency, purity, and safety of the final products. Meeting these regulatory requirements necessitates meticulous documentation and validation of procedures, which can increase the complexity and cost of cell culture operations.

Cell culture is a widely accepted and established technique for various types of research, biopharmaceutical production, and clinical applications. Furthermore, alternatives to cell culture may not offer the same level of efficiency and range of applications, which leads to low availability of product substitutes in the market.

Product Insights

On the basis of product, the market is segmented into instruments and consumables. The consumables segment accounted for the largest market share of 57.5% in 2023 and is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. The consumables segment includes reagents, sera, and media. The segment dominance is primarily due to recurring demand and purchase of consumables. Moreover, the increasing R&D expenditure by biopharmaceuticals and biotechnology firms to develop sophisticated biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies & vaccines, is expected to propel the segment growth. In addition, industry participants are increasing the offerings in this segment. For instance, in May 2023, Lonza, a key industry player, introduced TheraPEAK T-VIVO Cell Culture Medium for developing cell therapies.

The instruments segment is expected to exhibit significant growth over the forecast period due to the increasing launches of innovative systems like cryostorage instruments, biosafety instruments, and pipetting equipment. Companies are constantly innovating to introduce novel instruments. For instance, in October 2023, Sartorius announced the  launch of Picus 2 Electronic Pipette, the newest addition to its electronic pipette portfolio.

Application Insights

On the basis of application, the market is segmented into biopharmaceutical production, diagnostics, drug development, tissue culture & engineering, toxicity testing, cell & gene therapy, and other applications. The biopharmaceutical production segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2023. Cell culture technology is heavily utilized in the biotechnology sector for a variety of purposes, including bioprocessing, drug development, and biomanufacturing. Mammalian cell cultures are primarily used in the production of biopharmaceuticals, and the growing demand for nonconventional therapeutic options has led to a substantial increase in the bioproduction of genetically enhanced drugs. Thus, the demand for various cell culture consumables, such as cell culture media, is expected to increase. Furthermore, increasing availability of a variety of media types in serum-free and animal component-free forms has led to increased adoption of cell culture media in bioprocessing operations. These factors are expected to significantly boost segment growth over the forecast period.

On the contrary, the diagnostics segment is estimated to register the fastest CAGR over the forecast period. Cell cultures can be used in metabolomics to identify biomarkers of pathologically relevant conditions. Moreover, metabolic pathways that lead to the production of such biomarkers can also be identified to determine underlying metabolic disorders. In addition, metabolites also play a vital role in diagnosing cancer and its recurrence, which increases the scope of applications for cell culture media products. Thus, with the rising prevalence of cancer across the region coupled with the increasing application of cell culture products for disease diagnosis, the segment is expected to witness growth over the forecast period.

Country Insights

Germany dominated the overall Europe cell culture market in 2023, owing to the well-established pharmaceutical & biotech sector and widely used technologically advanced solutions. In addition, the growth of the market can be attributed to increased spending on cell-based research and the presence of several leading industry participants. The need for cell culturing technologies in research & clinical applications is increasing in the country due to the rising prevalence of chronic & infectious conditions. Moreover, major companies are expanding their presence in the country. For instance, in November 2021, Sartorious AG established Cell Culture Technology Center in Germany. 

The cell culture market in the UK is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. Increasing investments in developing innovative cell culture solutions and emerging regional players with advanced solutions are anticipated to support the UK’s market growth significantly. Players operating in the country market are raising funds and increasing their investments to develop their industry presence. For instance, in April 2022, Axol Bioscience Ltd raised USD 4.2 million. The funding enabled the company to optimize iPSC manufacturing capabilities and cell culture quality at its Edinburgh, UK site. Such strategies are anticipated to boost the UK market growth over the forecast period.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

• Danaher, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc, Merck KGaA, BD, and Sartorious AG are some of the dominant players operating in Europe cell culture market.

• Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. has a presence in various countries like Italy, Norway, Denmark, the UK, Spain, Sweden, and Germany and  across the region,

• Merck KGaA operates through three sectors: healthcare, life sciences, and performance materials. The company operates in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Oceania, and Africa. Sigma Aldrich, a subsidiary of Merck provides various cell culture products.

• Corning Incorporated, Eppendorf SE, PromoCell GmbH, and Bio-Techne are. some of the emerging market players functioning in Europe cell culture market.

• Eppendorf SE operates in life sciences instrumentation, consumables, & services for sample handling, liquid handling, & cell handling in laboratories. Its product line includes dispensers, mixers, centrifuges, spectrometers, and automated pipetting systems.

• PromoCell GmbH’s products comply with European biomedical conventions. It operates in over 40 countries around the world.

Recent Developments

• In October 2023, Molecular Devices, LLC, a part of Danaher Corporation, recently introduced the CellXpress.ai Automated Cell Culture System. This system is equipped with patent-pending technology that utilizes machine learning to streamline the complicated processes of feeding & passaging cells.

• In May 2023, BD announced the global commercial launch of a new-to-the-world cell sorting equipment featuring two revolutionary innovations that allow researchers to reveal more comprehensive information regarding cells previously unseen in typical flow cytometry research.

• In February 2023, Thermo Fisher Scientific together with Celltrio announced a collaboration to provide clients in the biotherapeutics business with a fully controlled cell culture system.

Europe Cell Culture Market Report Scope

Europe Cell Culture Market Report Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth and provides an analysis on the latest trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For the purpose of this report, Grand View Research has segmented the global market on the basis of product, application, and country:

• Product Scope Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Consumables

    • Media

      • Serum-free Media

        • CHO Media

        • BHK Medium

        • Vero Medium

        • HEK 293 Media

        • Other Serum-free Media

      • Classical Media

      • Stem Cell Culture Media

      • Specialty Media

      • Chemically Defined Media

      • Other Cell Culture Media

    • Sera

      • Fetal Bovine Serum

      • Others

    • Reagents

      • Albumin

      • Others

  • Instruments

    • Culture Systems

    • Incubators

    • Centrifuges

    • Cryostorage Equipment

    • Biosafety Equipment

    • Pipetting Instruments

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Biopharmaceutical Production

    • Monoclonal Antibodies

    • Vaccine Production

    • Other Therapeutic Proteins

  • Drug Development

  • Diagnostics

  • Tissue Culture & Engineering

  • Cell & Gene Therapy

  • Toxicity Testing

  • Other Applications

• Country Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Germany

  • U.K.

  • France

  • Italy

  • Spain

  • Denmark

  • Sweden

  • Norway