Cancer Stem Cells Market

The global Cancer Stem Cells Market is valued at USD 1.34 Billion in 2023 and is projected to reach a value of USD 3.72 Billion by 2032 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 12% between 2024 and 2032.

Key Highlights

• In 2023, North America took the lead in the market, commanding 44.3% of the overall market share driven by a robust healthcare sector and the presence of leading pharmaceutical companies and research centers
• The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to register the fastest growth rate during the forecast period
• In 2023, the Breast segment, from the Type segmentation, took the lead in the market, contributing 25.5% of considerable revenue share
• Based on Application, the Stem Cell-based Cancer Therapy segment significantly contributed to the market’s expansion in 2023
• Combination therapies involving conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy along with CSC-targeting agents are being explored to overcome treatment resistance and improve patient outcomes.

Regional Overview

In 2023, North America dominated the market, accounting for 44.3% of the overall market share. The market growth in the region is driven by a robust healthcare sector and substantial investments from developed economies such as the United States and Canada in developing treatments and medications for various chronic diseases. The presence of leading pharmaceutical companies and research centers further accelerates market expansion. The advanced healthcare infrastructure and proactive biomedical research centers are focusing on innovative and effective cancer treatments.

The Asia Pacific region is expected to experience the fastest growth rate during the forecast period. Key factors driving this growth include the advancement of healthcare services, a large patient population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and supportive government-funded cancer research programs. Leading contributors to the region's market revenue are China, Japan, and India.

The market in Europe is projected to achieve steady revenue growth throughout the forecast period, driven by the increasing incidence of cancer. Without decisive intervention, the number of lives lost to cancer in the EU is projected to surge by over 24% by 2035, making it the primary cause of death in the region. The comprehensive economic toll of cancer in Europe is estimated to surpass €100 billion annually.

U.S. Market Overview

In 2023, the market size for United States hit $0.58 Billion. It's projected to surge to approximately $1.63 Billion by 2032, with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.1% from 2024 to 2032. The U.S. Market exhibits robust growth, driven by a combination of advanced healthcare infrastructure, significant investments in research and development, and a large patient population. Rising prevalence of cancer, coupled with increasing focus on personalized medicine and innovative treatment approaches, fuels market expansion. Collaborations between leading pharmaceutical companies & research institutions contribute to advancements in cancer stem cell therapies, positioning the U.S. as a key player in the global market.

Type Overview

• In 2023, the Breast segment dominated the Global market with 25.5% of revenue share. The Type segment in Global market is segmented into Breast, Bladder, Blood, Lung, Brain, Colorectal, Pancreatic, and Liver.
• In 2023, the breast cancer sector emerged as the leading force in the market, primarily fueled by shifts in women's lifestyle choices. The increase is backed by different aspects like genetic inclinations, consumption of high-fat diets, exposure to chemicals, alcohol intake, mammographic density, and reproductive aspects, all of which add to the incidence of breast cancer in women.
• Urbanization, industrialization, dietary changes, and reduced physical activity further exacerbate the incidence of breast cancer in women. Targeting breast Cancer Stem Cells can be achieved through innovative immunotherapies like adoptive T-cell transfer or dendritic cell-based treatments integrated into existing treatment protocols.
• The bladder cancer sector is anticipated to experience notable growth in the market during the projected period. This expansion is driven by the escalating global incidence of bladder cancer, ranking as the ninth most common cancer globally. Bladder cancer stems from the malignant transformation of abnormal cells, with smoking recognized as its primary catalyst. It stands as the predominant genitourinary cancer, accounting for approximately 150,000 annual fatalities worldwide.

Key Trends

1. Ongoing advancements in understanding its biology and their role in tumor initiation, progression, and recurrence are driving significant developments in cancer treatment strategies.
2. Immunotherapies like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors, are being investigated for their potential to target and eliminate these cells, thereby improving treatment outcomes.
3. Biomarker driven approaches for identifying and targeting stem cells are gaining importance, enabling more effective patient stratification and treatment selection.
4. Pharmaceutical companies and research institutions are actively engaged in the development of novel drugs & therapeutic strategies specifically targeting stem cells, with many undergoing clinical trials.
5. Technological advancements in single-cell analysis, high-throughput screening & gene editing techniques are facilitating deeper insights into the biology of Cancer Stem Cells and aiding in the discovery of new therapeutic targets.

Government Initiatives

• Canadian Government's Investment in Regenerative Medicine: The Government of Canada has allocated $4.3 million through the Stem Cell Network's research funding program to support 16 projects aimed at addressing health issues such as type-1 diabetes, cancer, blood disorders, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy. This funding, including support for early career investigators, underscores Canada's commitment to advancing stem cell research and regenerative medicine.
• Government of India's Support for Stem Cell Research: The Indian government has facilitated stem cell research through various departments and institutions, providing backing for both basic and clinical research via national funding agencies like the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and Department of Science and Technology (DST). This effort has led to the development of advanced infrastructure across over 40 premier health research and educational institutes in India, alongside supporting industry initiatives. The release of the National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research (NGSCR) in 2017 by the ICMR underscores the government's commitment to ethical and scientifically sound stem cell research practices.
• EU Funding for Immunotherapies: The EU has allocated substantial funding to an international research endeavor aimed at advancing immunotherapies for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), glioblastoma, and pancreatic cancer. This initiative, leveraging technologies developed by Lund University in Sweden, seeks to program genetically modified killer immune cells to target and eliminate tumor cells, including Cancer Stem Cells, thus enhancing the efficacy of cancer treatments. The consortium has been granted approximately 40 million SEK by EU’s key funding program for research and innovation, Horizon Europe.
• Cardiff University's Prostate Cancer Research: Researchers at Cardiff University have secured significant funding of £491,731 to research into the mechanisms behind the spread of prostate cancer to bone, an aspect for which no cure currently exists. The research, backed by Prostate Cancer Research (PCR), aims to investigate the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in driving the spread of prostate cancer to bone, potentially opening avenues for novel therapeutic interventions.
• City of Hope's Stem Cell Research Grant: The California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded an $8 million grant to City of Hope's Alpha Stem Cell Clinic to accelerate research in regenerative medicine. This funding will enable City of Hope to expand access to advanced stem cell treatments, furthering its mission to address various health challenges through stem cell & regenerative medicine approaches.
• China's Government Support for Stem Cell Research: Over the past decade, the Chinese government has allocated significant funding to stem cell research through organizations like the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). With a focus on promoting basic research and its applications, the NSFC has invested approximately 3.7 billion yuan (around $576 million) in stem cell research from 1997 to 2019, reflecting China's commitment to advancing stem cell science and technology.

Premium Insights

In 2018, as per the GLOBOCAN study, the cancers with the highest mortality rates were lung (1.76 million deaths), stomach (783,000 deaths), liver (782,000 deaths), breast (627,000 deaths), colorectal (551,000 deaths), and blood cancers like leukemia (309,000 deaths). These cancers are diverse tumors composed of cells exhibiting various stem cell properties. This observation dates back to 1877 when Cohnheim, a student of Virchow, first noted this cell population and highlighted its embryonic characteristics. Nowadays, these cells are known as Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) or tumor-initiating cells (TICs), recognized as instigators of tumor formation and growth, often linked to aggressive, heterogeneous, and therapy-resistant tumors. Treatment approaches like chemotherapy or radiotherapy alter the composition of tumor cell subpopulations. Initially, highly proliferative tumor cells are targeted and eliminated, leading to a reduction in tumor size, while CSCs persist. Additionally, some tumor cells undergo therapy-induced senescence (TIS), contributing to changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME) with pro-tumor effects due to the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).

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Market Dynamics

• Cancer remains a significant global health challenge, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, representing around one in six deaths worldwide. Breast and lung cancers are the most diagnosed types, responsible for nearly 4.5 million deaths globally. Predictions indicate over 35 million new cancer cases by 2050, a 77% increase from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022. This rising burden reflects demographic shifts, including population aging, and increased exposure to risk factors associated with socioeconomic development.
• At the ASCO 2024 Annual Meeting, Merck showcased significant progress in oncology research. Highlights include first-in-human data for M9140, a potential first-in-class anti-CEACAM5 ADC with topoisomerase 1 inhibitor payload for metastatic colorectal cancer. Phase I data for tuvusertib, Merck’s lead DDR inhibitor, and new analyses supporting BAVENCIO as a first-line maintenance therapy in advanced bladder cancer underscore the breadth of Merck’s innovative oncology pipeline. The meeting featured 31 accepted abstracts across more than 10 tumor types, including seven oral presentations.
• Carina Biotech's exclusive agreement with Bionomics Ltd aims to create CAR-T cells targeting the LGR5 marker, highly expressed in solid tumors such as colorectal, breast, pancreatic, ovarian, lung, liver, and gastric cancers. Utilizing the first-in-class humanized antibody BNC101, this partnership leverages Carina’s proprietary platform to produce "supercharged" CAR-T cells. This innovative therapy harnesses the immune system’s power to attack stem cells, potentially revolutionizing treatment options for these malignancies.
• STEMCELL Technologies’ EasySep™ CD138 Positive Selection Kit received FDA De Novo classification as a first-of-its-kind in vitro diagnostic medical device. Designed to enrich plasma cells expressing the CD138 marker from bone marrow samples, this kit enhances the sensitivity of diagnostic tests for multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma, accounting for approximately 2% of all cancers in the U.S., often presents challenges in detecting genetic abnormalities due to low frequencies of CD138+ cells. By improving the pre-analytical step in diagnostic workflows, this kit aims to enhance patient care and outcomes significantly.

Potential Applications of Stem Cell Cancer Therapy

Several approaches have been devised for utilizing stem cell therapy in cancer treatment. These include hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation, infusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for post-cancer therapy, employing stem cells as therapeutic carriers, generating immune effector cells, and producing vaccines.

1. HSC Transplantation in Cancer Treatment: Traditionally, hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation has been a cornerstone in treating blood cancers like multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphomas following intensive radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Expanding its horizons, ongoing clinical trials explore its efficacy in diverse cancers such as brain tumors, neuroblastoma, sarcomas, & breast cancer. Nonetheless, the challenge of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) persists with allogeneic HSC sources, necessitating the use of immunosuppressive drugs with limited efficacy and severe side effects.
2. MSC Transplantation Post-Cancer Therapy: Aggressive cancer treatments often inflict collateral damage on healthy tissues and the hematopoietic system. Encouragingly, infusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has shown promise in preserving the undifferentiated state and proliferation of HSCs, enhancing overall treatment outcomes. Moreover, MSCs exhibit immunomodulatory properties, aiding in reducing immune responses in patients with refractory GVHD. Ongoing trials, like NCT02923375, evaluate the safety and efficacy of MSC infusion in adults with steroid-resistant GVHD. Additionally, MSCs contribute to organ recovery and bolster tolerance to high-dose chemotherapy, thereby enhancing its tumor-killing effects.
3. Stem Cells as Therapeutic Carriers: Stem cells are explored as carriers for delivering therapeutic agents in cancer treatment. This approach aims to shield agents from rapid degradation, minimize systemic side effects, and amplify local therapeutic concentrations owing to stem cells' inherent tumor-targeting abilities. The efficacy of this system hinges on the number of stem cells localized within the tumor microenvironment.
4. Stem Cell-Based Immunotherapy and Vaccines: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and natural killer (NK) cells hold promise in anticancer immunotherapy. However, challenges persist in controlling their quantity and quality, especially in patients with extensive chemotherapy history or advanced age. Human pluripotent stem cells offer an unlimited source for generating CAR cells, thereby expanding immunotherapy accessibility. Additionally, stem cell-based anti-cancer vaccines, leveraging oncofetal peptides or whole-cell lysates, show potential in eliciting robust immune responses against cancer cells.

Competitive Landscape

• The global market is highly fragmented with numerous key players operating on both global and regional levels. Leading companies are heavily invested in research and development, frequently engaging in strategic alliances to innovate and introduce novel products and devices. Prominent players in this market include Merck KGaA, Bayer AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., AbbVie Inc., Miltenyi Biotec, STEMCELL Technologies Inc., and FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific Inc., among others.
• In March 2024, Bayer AG and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced a collaboration aimed at increasing patient access to precision cancer therapies. This partnership focuses on developing next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based companion diagnostic assays (CDx) to facilitate decentralized genomic testing with rapid turnaround times. These diagnostics will help identify patients who can benefit from Bayer’s expanding portfolio of precision cancer treatments, thereby enhancing the reach & effectiveness of personalized medicine.

Recent Market Developments

Sino Biological Expands Portfolio with $48M Acquisition of SignalChem Biotech

• In April 2024, Sino Biological, Inc., a biotechnology company listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange subsidiary ChiNext and specializing in biological research reagents and contract research services, successfully acquired Vancouver-based SignalChem Biotech Inc. (SCB). Sino Biological purchased 100% of SCB's shares in a deal valued at $48 million USD, inclusive of all assets and assumed indebtedness, net of cash deposits.

Miltenyi Biotec Establishes Cell and Gene Therapy Centre of Excellence in India

• In February 2024, Miltenyi Biotec launched its operations in India by opening its first office and establishing the Miltenyi Innovation and Technology Center as a Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Centre of Excellence (COE) in Hyderabad. This COE will provide comprehensive training on CGT approaches from proof-of-concept to pre-clinical and clinical development, and commercialization.

Recent Significant Acquisitions

• In January 2024, Merck announced its acquisition of Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc. through a definitive agreement. Merck will acquire Harpoon for $23.00 per share in cash, resulting in a total equity value of approximately $680 million. This acquisition aims to further diversify Merck's oncology pipeline.
• In January 2024, STEMCELL Technologies, Canada's largest biotechnology company, announced its acquisition of Propagenix Inc., a Maryland-based biotechnology company. Propagenix focuses on developing technologies to enable new approaches in regenerative medicine, and this acquisition aligns with STEMCELL's strategic expansion in this innovative field.

The global Cancer Stem Cells market can be categorized as Type, Application, and Region.