Europe Animal Model Market size surpassed USD 2.4 billion in 2020 and is anticipated to register a growth rate of 5.5% between 2021 and 2027.

Physiological similarities between animal and human will spur the demand for animal models in Europe. Humans and animal are similar at physiological and anatomical level. This has compelled researchers to invent novel mechanisms and assess novel therapies in animal models before applying the novel therapies to humans. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the similarity of mice genome to human genome is 99%, including 85% of similarity in protein-coding regions. In addition, according to a published article, around 90% of the veterinary medicines utilized in the treatment of animals are much similar to those medicines developed for treating human patients.

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Several animal models such as knockout mice, knockin mice and knockout pigs are being developed to make advanced novel drugs. Furthermore, owing to the growing cases of COVID-19 in Europe and the genomic similarity between human and animal, the WHO has recommended to identify animal models for testing of therapeutic agents and vaccines. Consequently, genetically modified mice are being generated at a rapid pace in order to study the expression of human ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 gene.

Europe Market, By Animal Type

In Europe animal model market, pigs animal segment revenue in 2020 was around USD 202 million. The considerable size is due to the generation of genetically modified pigs using CRISPR technique. Pigs as animal models are considered the best for clinical validation of drugs and medical devices.  This is owing to their similarity to humans in terms of physiology, genetics and anatomy that is fuelling the demand for pig models. For instance, the German centre for Diabetes Research, in 2020, used pig models for examining organ crosstalk and complications in diabetes mellitus. In addition, a huge number of applications of pigs as animal models in research activity is contributing to the rising demand for pig models.

Europe Market, By Technology

Embryonic stem cell injection technique is set to grow at 5.7% CAGR from 2021 to 2027. Embryonic stem cell derived mutant mice are increasingly being produced to study molecular genetics and developmental biology. Additionally, this technique aids in generating individual specific embryonic stem cell lines in several species for potential cell-replacement therapy such as breast cancer mouse models and prostate cancer mouse models. The embryonic stem cell generation of animal models is cost-effective and timesaving, thereby leading to increased utilization of embryonic stem cell injection technique. This technique is widely used for various objectives such as establish the best animal models of human disease & injury, discover biogenic compounds that affect progenitor/stem cells, identify the suitable stem or progenitor cell in vitro protocols, etc.

Europe Market, By Application

Production and quality control segment is poised to observe 5.9% growth till 2027. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), nearly 15% of animal models are used for the vaccine production and quality control. Increase in testing of drug safety and efficacy for diseases such as malaria and COVID-19 are contributing to increasing demand for animal models by production and quality control sector. Production and quality control of pharmaceutical products are still vastly dependent on the practise of animal models in the numerous evaluation stages. Furthermore, they have high importance to analyse the mechanism, route, transmission of the disease, and the host immune response, among others. In addition, the animal models are widely used to check the quality of product in-vitro diagnostic tests.

Europe Market, By Use

Human segment held majority Europe animal model market share in 2020 and was valued at more than USD 1,951 million owing to the increasing prevalence of viral diseases in humans. Well-developed animal models aid in understanding of disease progression, immunologic responses to viral infections in humans and disease pathogenesis. Animal models have significantly enhanced understanding of the origin and progress of human genetic ailments and have recognised to be a beneficial tool for determining targets for therapeutic drugs. Animal research aided to make revolutionary discoveries, from novel vaccines and medications to transplant procedures, anaesthetics, etc. The animal model-based research has been saved millions of lives or improved as an outcome. Moreover, mice models are predominantly used in clinical research for understanding the pharmacokinetics of the drugs used in the treatment of human diseases.

Europe Market, By End-Use

Contract research organizations (CRO) segment will observe around 5.6% growth rate during the forecast period.  Several healthcare companies outsource research activities to contract research organizations in order to reduce production cost and time. Contract research organizations (CROs) are preferred by the drug manufacturing companies for customized research. The European Union is actively engaged in funding research organization consortiums for research and development on mouse models for Alzheimer’s disease. Animal research in the Europe is regulated to ensure high standards of scientific research and animal welfare. Research organizations select the species based on the objective, method, and type of the research. Organizations emphasize on to use the species that least can experience pain and suffering, with which they can attain significant results.

Europe Market, By Country

UK animal model market accounted for over 29% revenue share in 2020. The substantial market share is credited to growing focus on research and development of effective drugs. Majority of research in the UK is conducted in universities and medical schools and focuses on discovering on the operation of biological systems, fuelling the demand for animal models. In addition, the European Union sponsors the research organization consortiums for research and development of mouse models for Alzheimer’s disease, thereby contributing to the market growth. Emergence of new COVID-19 strain is also anticipated to augment the usage and production of animal models in the country. Animals in the UK are being utilized on a huge scale for research and development of novel medicines. The European Association for Cancer Research organize workshops in the country to discuss the technologies established in inventive mouse models. This initiative has the potential to increase the market growth in the UK.

Competitive Industry Landscape

Prominent companies in the Europe animal model market are Charles River, Envigo, genOway, PharmaLegacy and Taconic Biosciences, among others. These industry players are involved in several strategies such as collaborations, mergers, and acquisitions to maintain their market position. For instance, in February 2020, The Jackson Laboratory announced the availability of hACE2 transgenic mouse model for coronavirus research. The strategic move assisted the organization in expanding their customer base.