Bioengineered Skin Market Could Surpass Cartilage Segment

Originally Published MDDI March 2002

NEWS & ANALYSIS

Gregg Nighswonger

Anticipated growth in bioengineered tissue market segments, combined with advances in creating bioengineered organs, is expected to create a $1 billion market by 2010, according to a report from MedMarket Diligence (Foot-hill Ranch, CA).

Says Patrick J. Driscoll, president of MedMarket Diligence, "The two current leading market segments in bioengineered tis-sue are skin and cartilage. However, growth in the skin segment, which is expected to see rates upwards of 40% annually between now and 2010, will rapidly overtake cartilage within a few years." Driscoll predicts that "the next big area of growth will occur in five or six years as we begin to see new products emerging for human organs." He says such products are likely to include engineered kidney, heart muscle, and artery cells.

Current development efforts also include engineered tissues to treat diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, as well as replacement tissue for damaged neural, cardiac, and hepatic tissues. After years of investment, Driscoll notes, key market players are finally beginning to convert clinical advances into profitability.

Copyright ©2002 Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry