Tissue Sectioning Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Instruments, Accessories & Consumables), By Technology (Automatic, Manual), By Application, By End Use, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027

Report Overview

The global tissue sectioning market size was worth USD 518.58 million in 2019 and is projected to register a CAGR of 6.56% over the forecast period. Rising prevalence of chronic diseases and cancers is one of the crucial factors driving demand for histopathology tests as a tissue pathology examination is of utmost importance for the diagnosis of a malignant tumor. Cancer is considered as one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Analysis of biopsy tissues enables pathologists to determine cancer type, stage, and the degree to which the disease has invaded healthy tissues. This has led to an increased adoption of histopathology and tissue sectioning and staining instruments, in turn propelling the market growth.

Growth of personalized therapeutics and diagnostics is expected to boost the market growth. Personalized medicine is becoming the hallmark of cancer treatment and with its application expanding to other fields. It is a constantly emerging approach toward customizing treatments based on the individual genetic buildup of patients. Rising adoption of personalized medicine has led to an increase in demand for the use of human tissue as the field relies on the use of human tissue for the development of innovative tests.

The rise in awareness programs undertaken by organizations, such as National Cervical Cancer Coalition, World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), for cancer screening, is a crucial factor driving the market growth. Efforts from major market players to undertake initiatives for creating awareness about cervical and vaginal cancer screening is anticipated to bode well for the market growth.

For instance, the National Health Service (NHS) offers cervical screening programs for all women between 25 and 64 years of age in the U.K. Women aged between 25 years and 49 years are generally screened every three years, whereas women aged between 50 years to 64 years are screened every five years. The Norway government initiated the Norwegian Cervical Cancer Screening Programme (NCCSP) offers to screen women between 25 and 69 years, every three years.

Product Insights

In 2019, the instruments segment accounted for over 50% revenue share of the tissue sectioning market. Microtomes and cryostats are required for cutting uniform sections of tissues under study. Advanced versions of microtomes can precisely cut tissue block of thickness ranging from 0.1 to 100 μm. These devices are available in a variety of forms, such as sliding, rotating, freezing, ultra, and laser microtomes. Therefore, the availability of a wide range of products to serve different purposes in pathology labs is expected to drive the segment growth.

Rotary microtome is the most commonly used instrument in a histology laboratory. The development of automatic microtomes has significantly improved the work efficiency of lab personnel, thus driving the segment growth. Market participants are working toward enhancing the reproducibility and working efficiency of microtomes and cryostats. The presence of several service providers engaged in sectioning of paraffin-embedded tissue, which enables cutting and mounting of very thin sections for microscopic analysis is expected to boost the growth.

Technology Insights

The automatic technology segment accounted for the largest market share in 2019 owing to a growing demand for technologically advanced products in developed and developing economies including Germany, U.S., Japan, France, and others. The segment is also anticipated to register the fastest CAGR over the forecast period. Automatic microtomes provide users with the utmost benefit, reliability, and excellent operator comfort. The precision and high section scalability offered by automatic microtomes make these instruments an ideal choice for sectioning of paraffin-embedded tissues and hard materials. Therefore, automatic instruments are readily adopted in the field of diagnostics, medicine, and other research purposes. Key market players have made significant R&D investments to upgrade the product features and make it user-friendly. For instance, feather touch buttons installed on the device make working efficient and effortless. Some of the key automated products include Tissue-Tek AutoSection, Tissue Surgeon, and PT-PC PowerTomes.

Application Insights

Disease diagnosis segment dominated the market in 2019. The medical research segment is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Histopathological examination of surgical biopsies is considered as a standard method for the diagnosis of various disorders, including cancer. Hence, the method is readily adopted by pathological laboratories across the globe.

Researchers have developed several recommendations to enhance the quality of the tissue specimen used for biopsy during clinical trials. This is because tissue samples for tumor biopsy can be helpful for medical research as it can provide relevant information regarding the behavior of cancer drugs within the human body. Such initiatives are expected to enhance the growth of the medical research segment.

The presence of several academic and research institutes that research in the field of histology, cytology, and tumor biology are expected to boost revenue generation in the market. For instance, Cork Cancer Research Centre at University College Cork, Ireland provides research facilities for tissue processing, embedding, cutting, and staining. The center is equipped with rotary microtomes for precise tissue sectioning during slide preparation.

End-use Insights

Tissue sectioning is employed in hospitals, small clinics, diagnostic laboratories, and research centers for the analysis of biopsy specimens and other tissues. Hospitals segment accounted for the largest market share in 2019, owing to a high inflow of biopsy specimens for histopathology and cytopathology, and a rise in the number of hospital admission for cancer patients.

The usage of tissue sectioning systems and services in hospitals has increased over the years. In several hospitals and clinics, the physicians are switching to anatomic pathology-based tests from conventional testing procedures. The long turnover time associated with the conventional processes is boosting the adoption rate of anatomic pathology-based tests as these aid in reducing the timelines.

The research centers segment is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. This is attributed to the presence of a substantial number of research organizations to carry out research in the field of cancer and biopsy. For instance, the Cancer Research and Statistics Foundation aims to improve cancer outcome and actively promotes research and academic activities related to cancer. The foundation has also organized several workshops to train people for research in the field of oncology.

Regional Insights

North America held the dominant revenue share of the market for tissue sectioning in 2019 owing to advanced healthcare infrastructure, increasing investment by the public and private sectors in tissue diagnostics, and high adoption of technologically advanced fully automated products. Rise in the prevalence of cancer in North America boosts the demand for biopsies for cancer diagnosis leading to an increased demand for tissue sectioning equipment.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. The presence of a huge target population, high unmet clinical needs coupled with growing R&D activities for advanced diagnostic techniques are projected to propel the growth of the regional market. In addition, improvement in the healthcare infrastructure and rise in healthcare expenditure is anticipated to provide a potential growth platform for the key manufacturers. Rising penetration of medical insurance in countries like India and China is a significant market driver. In addition, the presence of prominent players including SM Scientific Instruments Pvt. Ltd., AGD Biomedicals, and Amos Scientific Pty. Ltd. in countries like India and Australia is expected to drive the regional market.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Some of the key market players include Thermo Fisher Scientific, Leica Biosystems Nussloch GmbH, LLS ROWIAK LaserLabSolutions GmbH, and Sakura Finetek Europe B.V. These players are involved in collaborations with laboratories to maintain a competitive edge. Initiatives adopted by the key players for troubleshooting the processing issues faced by the lab technicians are expected to address the problem of under-processed tissue. The companies actively provide specific histology solutions for FFPE DNA or RNA isolation, highly applicable in research arena.

Tissue Sectioning Market Report Scope

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 2016 to 2027. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global tissue sectioning market report on the basis of product, technology, application, end use, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Instruments

    • Rotary Microtome

    • Sliding Microtome

    • Ultramicrotome

    • Cryostat

    • Others

  • Accessories & Consumables

  • Services

• Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Automatic

  • Semiautomatic

  • Manual

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Diagnosis

  • Research

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Hospitals

  • Clinics

  • Diagnostic Laboratories

  • Research Centers

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • U.K.

  • Asia Pacific

    • Japan

    • China

    • India

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

  • Middle East and Africa (MEA)

    • South Africa