Next-Generation Sequencing Fuels Bioinformatics Upswing

As cost-effective technology fuels adoption of genome sequencing in multiple end-user segments, a huge output of NGS data to store and analyze is an overwhelming result. Where primary and secondary data analysis tools are geared to become more valuable as pipelines standardize, the high-value tertiary data analysis segment used for biologic interpretation and clinical reporting will drive revenue growth, according to recent market research.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan’s (Mountain View, CA, USA), an international growth consultancy firm, revealed that the market earned revenue of USD 170 million in 2012 and estimates this to reach USD 580 million in 2018 at a striking compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.7%.

“With sequencing data production forecast to grow at a CAGR of more than 75% between 2012 and 2018, researchers will need efficient NGS informatics solutions to manage, analyze, and interpret this escalating amount of data,” said Frost & Sullivan life sciences senior industry analyst Christi Bird. “As the number of applications for NGS continues to grow, the implementation of NGS informatics will go up.”

However, customers employ NGS for a broad range of applications, and there is no perfect product for NGS informatics. Therefore, customers may have difficulty in identifying the appropriate tools for their needs. The wide variety of free public domain and commercial applications provided by more than 100 competitors in this field has also led to low barriers to entry, rising competition, and commoditization in specific product fields.

Furthermore, NGS users are frequently tentative in making further investments in commercial informatics tools, because of the range of public and open-source software available along with readily accessible internal bioinformatics resources. Therefore, in addition to the hurdles of commoditization and standardization, suppliers must persuade NGS users their commercial tools are better than free ones.

“As the market matures and informatics prices fall, competitors will rely not just on the expanding volume of users and NGS data developed but also on the high-value interpretation sector of the market to sustain profits globally,” remarked Ms. Bird. “Suppliers that can develop high-value, simple, and streamlined turnkey solutions will find success.”

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