Advancements in Analytical Methods and Digital Tools Fuel Growth Opportunities in Microbiome Research and Product Development
Microbiome research is on the rise following technological advancements and significant cost reductions in microbiome analysis. Research has unlocked the potential of the microbiome in medical use cases, yielding tremendous insights on its nature, interactions, and impact within a host and in an external environment. Advanced studies on the role of microbiota and their interactions with the host have enabled the development of innovative treatment strategies and diagnostic techniques. Research is also underway to explore microbiome applications in non-medical industries, such as agriculture, waste treatment, landfills, and marine.
Enabling technologies, namely digital technologies, omics, synthetic biology, and microbial culturing technologies, enhance microbiome research and development (R&D), manufacturing, product development, and commercialization. Advancements in digital technologies, such as big data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, contribute to collecting, synthesizing, and analyzing microbiome data for various applications. Omics technologies such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics improve the characterization of microbiome data, host-microbiome interactions, microbial response to external stimuli, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing, and proteomics and metabolome profiles. Synthetic biology facilitates the design of engineered microbes for therapeutics, cell-based biosensors for diagnostics, and complex switches and synthetic gene networks for drug discovery. Similarly, technological developments in high-throughput culturing techniques enable the culturing of previously uncultivable microorganisms. These technology enablers open up new opportunities and applications for microbiome-based products in industries.
This research service provides an overview of technologies enabling microbiome research. Technology enablers address challenges in microbiome data collection and analysis, product development, and manufacturing. Academic and research institutes, public and private organizations, and companies collaborate to develop and use integrated omics technologies, machine learning and artificial intelligence tools, microbial engineering through synthetic biology, and robust data analysis tools to manage vast amounts of microbiome data. Knights Lab, Metabiomics, and Eagle Genomics are examples of companies offering machine learning and data analysis tools to facilitate microbiome research. Pacific Biosciences, MacCoss Lab of the University of Washington, and IsoPlexis are advancing omics technologies to improve microbiome research and address its challenges.
The study highlights notable funding and investment trends facilitating microbiome research globally. The United States leads the funding landscape as many public and private institutions support microbiome research and adoption, resulting in increased industry-academia partnerships.
The study also identifies growth opportunities for companies in the microbiome value chain and covers the following key areas:
- Current microbiome research scenario
- Challenges in microbiome research and promising solutions
- Enabling technologies for microbiome R&D, product development, and commercialization
- Key funding and investment deals
- Growth opportunities for stakeholders in the value chain
Table of Contents
1. Strategic Imperatives
1.1 Why Is It Increasingly Difficult to Grow? The Strategic Imperative 8: Factors Creating Pressure on Growth
1.2 The Strategic Imperative 8
1.3 The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on Technology Enablers for Microbiome Applications
1.4 Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine
2. Research Scope
2.1 Research Scope and Key Questions Addressed
2.2 Research Methodology
3. Growth Environment Analysis
3.1 Introduction to Microbiome Technologies
3.2 Role of Microbiome in Human Health
3.3 Role of Microbiome Across Multiple Disease Indications
3.4 Development of Microbiome-based Products
3.5 Key Bottlenecks in Microbiome R&D and Product Development
3.6 Need for Technology Enablers in Microbiome R&D and Product Development
4. Enabling Technology - Digital Technologies
4.1 Role of Digital Technologies in Microbiome R&D and Product Development
4.2 Data Analytics and ML Tools to Overcome R&D Bottlenecks
4.3 Academic and Research Institutes Develop Digital Tools for Microbiome Research
4.4 Digital Innovations Facilitate Microbiome Research
5. Enabling Technology - Omics Platforms
5.1 Role of Omics in Microbiome R&D and Product Development
5.2 Omics Technologies Facilitate Microbiome Research
5.3 Academic and Research Institutes Advanced Omics Platforms for Microbiome Analysis
5.4 Key Stakeholders Develop Omics Platforms for Microbiome R&D
5.5 Companies Keen to Use Omics Platforms for Product Development
6. Enabling Technology - Synthetic Biology
6.1 Role of Synthetic Biology in Microbiome R&D and Product Development
6.2 Synthetic Biology Has Increasing Applications in Microbiome Therapeutics and Diagnostics
6.3 Academic and Research Institutes Focus on Microbial Engineering
6.4 Research Institutes Explore the Potential of Microbiome in Non-medical Applications
6.5 Synthetic Biology Innovations Enable Microbial Engineering
7. Enabling Technology - Culturing Technologies
7.1 Role of Culturing Technologies in Microbiome R&D and Product Development
7.2 Innovations in Culturing Techniques Reduce R&D Lead Time
7.3 Academic Institutes Optimize Microbial Culturing Techniques
7.4 Innovations to Culture Uncultivable Microbes
8. Funding and Investment Analysis
8.1 Rising Investments and Research Grants for Microbiome Research
8.2 Federal Funding Bolsters Microbiome Research
8.3 Ongoing Trends in Microbiome Investments
8.4 Mergers, Acquisitions, and Collaborations Set to Increase Microbiome-based Products Commercialization
9. Growth Opportunity Universe
9.1 Growth Opportunity 1: Develop Advanced Data Analytics Tools for Effective Microbiome R&D and Product Development
9.2 Growth Opportunity 2: Standardize and Create Reference Materials to Advance Microbiome Research
9.3 Growth Opportunity 3: Synthetic Biology Techniques to Accelerate Large-scale Production of Engineered Strains
10. Next Steps
10.1 Your Next Steps
10.2 Why Now?
10.3 Legal Disclaimer
Companies Mentioned (Partial List)
A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- Eagle Genomics
- IsoPlexis
- Knights Lab
- MacCoss Lab of the University of Washington
- Metabiomics
- Pacific Biosciences
