Automated Compound
Storage & Retrieval (ACSR):
An Important New Market Develops
by Jack Gardner
History of ACSR
In 2001, only 28 new medical entities (NME’s) were
approved by the FDA; the smallest number in 30 years. Five years ago, high
throughput screening (HTS) was heralded as the way to develop better drugs
faster. This hasn’t happened. To date, HTS has not produced better drug
development. In 2001, about $10 billion was spent on HTS systems and
consumables. Experts recognize it’s time to improve the efficiency of HTS.
This means working smarter, paying more attention to what will create ultimate
success.
As the capability for screening more compounds
increased, so did the generation of new compounds. New approaches to
combinational chemistry made it possible to generate thousands of compounds in
same time that they used to make dozens. Libraries in large pharma companies
grew to millions of compounds. Each compound had to be stored, preserved,
tracked and retrieved.
Previously, compounds for screening had been kept in
vials or microplates, then stored on racks in a freezer until needed. This
manual system had its limitations, but worked OK as long as HTS volumes were
kept to 1000 a day or so. Things changed as HTS volume and libraries grew ten
to one hundred-fold. Traditional methods of preparing plates for screening took
too long. Several labs reported that over 50% of their time was spent pulling
samples and preparing them for screening.
These needs led to the science of compound
management. Tools from other areas were adapted to this application. Freezers
were fitted with robotic arms to move racks and plates. Automated liquid
handling (ALH) pipettors and dispensers were adapted to reformat plates. Sample
scheduling software was modified to keep track of compound location and status.
Various plate sealing and unsealing techniques were tried.
By 1997, several companies began to focus on compound
management. For some, it was an extension of products they were already
selling. For others, it became their core business. These first approaches
failed to meet changing requirements. Customers needed to expand their units,
deliver desired compounds faster, and select individual compounds. Within
three years, the first generation of specialized custom solutions gave way to a
second generation of products that were specialized, yet standardized. A
distinct market was developing. This is the market that is addressed in this
report: Automated Compound Storage and Retrieval (ACSR).
Meanwhile, smaller pharmas and biotechs were looking
for better ways to store and manage their compound libraries, which numbered in
the hundreds of thousands rather than the millions. Several new suppliers
provided compact units that could be moved through a lab door, instead of
requiring a special room. These mid-sized units have won rapid acceptance, and
promise to expand this market very rapidly.
Characteristics of ACSR Market
The potential market for ACSR products includes all
research organizations doing HTS for drug discovery in pharmas, biotechs, and
academic institutes. It is characterized by rapid growth, innovative products,
changing demands, and new companies entering.
The market for ACSR includes products used for
storage, retrieval, manipulation, liquid handling, and transport. The market
can be divided into six product categories:
. Large Storage Units – room-sized storage; 1MM+
compounds; priced $1 to $5 MM
. Mid-sized Storage – portable storage; 100-500K compounds; priced $100
to $200K
. Management Instruments – robotics, sealers, de-lidders, etc; priced
$10 to $200K
. Management Software – from add-ons to enterprise-wide versions; $10K
to $3 MM
. Automated Liquid Handling – from pipettors to workstations; $15 to
$150K
. Consumables – plates, vials, tips, lids, seals, etc; from under $1 to
$50 each.
There are over 100 suppliers of products for ACSR.
They range from established industry leaders like Beckman and B-D to promising
growth companies like Biophile and TekCel. Most supply one or two categories of
products, only a few offer the full range.
There are several important trends which will impact
growth in these product areas:
. Storage Units – rapid growth for mid-sized units; demand for modularity
and expansion
. Software – better information integration, process optimization, software
compatibility
. Consumables – shift from plates to mini-vials; miniaturization of stored
samples
. Markets – more sales to biotechs; explosion of tissue storage; opening
Japanese market.
Market Size & Growth
The size of the ACSR market in 2001 was $263 million
worldwide. With an annual growth rate projected at 15%, the market will reach
$466 million in 2005. Large storage units and consumables are the two largest
product categories. Mid-sized storage units are projected to grow the fastest:
33% per year. Demand for all product categories will remain strong over the
next five years.
Additional Information
The market intelligence report: Automated Compound
Storage & Retrieval: World Markets, Trends & Opportunities
(September 2002) is available from Kalorama at
www.KaloramaInformation.com. The author is Jack Gardner (gardsavas@aol.com),
founder and principal of Gardner, Savage Associates. GSA has provided market
information services to the lab instrument, biotech, and diagnostics industries
since 1978.
