So you want to succeed in the flow cytometry antibody market?

In our latest targeted data report we’re outlining the key players in the flow cytometry antibody market, highlighting those companies that are doing particularly well and also those that could grow in this field.

As with all CiteAb data, the numbers behind this report are the result of the analysis of hundreds of thousands of citations for individual antibodies – in this case looking at those used for flow cytometry experiments.

Speaking about this latest data set, CiteAb founder Dr Andrew Chalmers said: “We can see that the flow cytometry antibody market is dominated by BD Biosciences – claiming a huge 33% of the total market.”

BD Biosciences is a global medical technology company that aims to advance the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company’s flow cytometry offering is comprehensive, with instruments, tools, resources, software and antibodies available.

Dr Chalmers adds: “The fact that BD Biosciences is one of the largest manufacturers of flow cytometry equipment, coupled with a well rounded offering for researchers conducting flow cytometry experiments is likely to be part of the reason that the company is able to dominate the antibody market for flow cytometry quite so thoroughly. When a researcher is used to purchasing equipment from a particular supplier they are very likely to obtain other items they need, such as antibodies, at the same time.”

However, this method doesn’t guarantee success for all companies. Beckman Coulter, another  – albeit smaller – supplier of flow cytometry equipment, claims only a small 2.5% of the flow cytometry research antibody market.

Baylor - responsible for the largest number of citations for flow cytometry.
Baylor University – responsible for the largest number of citations for flow cytometry.

Clearly there is an opportunity here for Beckman Coulter to challenge BD Biosciences and to claim more of the total market share. The company could start by targeting its product marketing at those institutions that are carrying out flow cytometry most often.

CiteAb data shows exactly which institutions globally are using particular methods or products most often. For example, over the last three years, the most academic citations demonstrating the use of flow cytometry have been from Baylor College of Medicine, closely followed by Harvard University.

We can even drill down to individual research groups, so companies such as Beckman Coulter can really target their products if they choose. In the case of flow cytometry, the most citations for its use globally are from the immunologist Jin Wang from the Department of Pharmacology at Baylor.

But if you’re just breaking into the flow cytometry market, how can you go about succeeding?

The flow market is unique in comparison to other applications. The striking difference between the market for flow antibodies and other applications is the dominance of monoclonals, in particular mouse and rat, monoclonals.  Therefore, if you want to succeed you need to offer monoclonal antibodies.

Flow cytometry also makes use of far more conjugated antibodies than other applications, with PE and FITC currently the most cited.

And of course, you can further use CiteAb data to inform the development of your product catalogue and your marketing. In the case of flow cytometry, the data could show you the top targets –  CD8a and CD4.

Because we’re kind lovely people, we’re making the top ten targets completely free! To get your free sample data or discuss any data needs you may have simply drop Matt an email and we’d be happy to talk through the options.

And if you’re a researcher using flow cytometry, do comment below and tell us where you like to source your products and why. Alternatively you can join in the conversation at any time on Twitter using @CiteAb, or on Facebook.

– Matt and the CiteAb team

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