Continued Growth Expected for Molecular POC Testing

Diagnostics (Dx) that can harness the speed and efficiency of DNA testing but take up a small space in a clinical lab or be used at point-of-care (POC), next the patient is a reality, with several products already available and many in development, according to a new healthcare market research report.

Kalorama Information (NY, NY, USA) expects significant growth by 2020 in molecular POC Dx, which reached USD 74 million in 2015. Among the various technologies and products of in vitro diagnostics (IVD), tests performed at POC or near the patient are regarded as a leading expansion market. Kalorama’s new report “The Market and Potential for Molecular Point of Care Diagnostics” examines the major market segments, exploring in-depth both current sales and opportunity.

“Molecular POC products will be able to address a segment of hospital POC testing, largely related to infectious diseases,” said Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information, “Rapid POC testing of hospital patients for pathogens can optimize decisions regarding patient isolation or quarantine and required urgency for intervention.”

Market introduction of POC Dx often follows a period of technological maturation or refinement of an existing laboratory diagnostic modality or platform. One of the major enabling technologies for POC is real-time PCR (qPCR) testing, which eliminated the need for post-amplification electrophoresis and integrated detection within the PCR instrument. Advances and innovations in: microfluidics; isothermal and other alternative amplification chemistries; test automation; primers and probes; and next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods – have been the most significant to the development of decentralization. In many cases, these technologies work together to facilitate automated testing within a smaller device.

While molecular POC Dx currently represent a minimal market with limited product availability, demand for decentralized molecular testing outside of reference and hospital labs is expected to grow dramatically over the next 5 years with molecular POC diagnostic product introductions. Tests assaying nucleic acid analytes offer unparalleled analytical specificity, sensitivity, and multiplex capabilities in clinical POC settings.

Kalorama’s report examines the major segments of molecular POC diagnostics, exploring in-depth the following (2015–2020): respiratory tract infections, women’s health and sexual health, high-burden diseases, GI pathogens, HAIs and bloodstream infections; and non-infectious diseases. The report also provides company profiles, and data on various other aspects of this market.

Related Links:
Kalorama Information
Market and Potential for Molecular Point of Care Diagnostics, report