World biosensor sales now top $13 billion

British researchers have estimated that the value of the worldwide biosensor industry is worth more than $13 billion every year.

The study into the industry was carried out by Tony Turner, one of the formative developers of biosensors 30 years ago, who now works a Cranfield University in Buckinghamshire. Turner said that biosensors – which use biological material combined with an often portable detector to diagnose disease or pick up pollutants – sustain thousands of research and development jobs, as well as scientific sales jobs.

He added that the market for the devices is only set to grow, as medicine becomes more personalised and hospitals seek to keep patients out of expensive hospital beds and off costly drugs.

The biosensor market is still dominated by devices for diabetics, allowing them to self-check their blood sugar levels. Biosensors for diabetics account for 85 per cent of the market, but scientists are working on expanding their application for use with other illnesses, including HIV.

Maximilian Fleischer, the head of chemical and biosensors at Siemens Corporate Technology, said, “The challenge is definitely to work on non-invasive technologies. We are anticipating that the application of biosensors in point-of-care diagnosis will be a large upcoming market.”

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