Opportunities in neuroscience for life science

Report looks at neuroscientists in terms of product-based segmentation so that suppliers can determine for themselves what marketing strategy and product mix will be most successful

Neuroscientists represent a distinct and vibrant segment of the life science market, according to a new report.

Based on a survey of more than 500 neuroscientists, the report examines the use of key technologies and instrumentation employed in neuroscience research, how neuroscientists differ from the market as a whole, preferred suppliers and anticipated changes in product usage in 2006.

As tens of thousands of neuroscientists prepare to meet in Washington, DC, in mid-November 2005 for the major annual neuroscience conference, the new report from BioInformatics, The Neuroscience Perspective: Opportunities for Market Entry and Expansion, provides suppliers with an understanding of the unique needs of this dynamic group of scientific customers.

"Neuroscience's maturation into a complex blend of scientific disciplines has resulted in the creation of a distinct market segment where buyers exhibit similar preferences in their product usage and purchasing behavior," explains Tamara Zemlo, director of syndicated research and analysis at BioInformatics.

"Our report looks at neuroscientists in terms of product-based segmentation so that suppliers can determine for themselves what marketing strategy and product mix will be most successful based upon experimental approaches and research techniques".

The report offers critical information regarding neuroscientists' preferred techniques and instrumentation in four areas of strategic importance to suppliers: nucleic acids, proteins, cells and imaging.

Additionally, current and future spending for neuroscience-related products is examined to identify emerging opportunities.

Neuroscientists also expressed clear brand preferences in terms of the companies they believe are best qualified to support neuroscience research.

The survey revealed that products from well-known companies such as Invitrogen and Qiagen dominate the nucleic acid category.

Invitrogen and Sigma-Aldrich were deemed best qualified in cellular analysis while Bio-Rad and Carl Zeiss led the field in the protein and imaging categories, respectively.

"We compared the products used by neuroscientists to the market as a whole to identify opportunities for our clients to differentiate themselves," says Zemlo.

"More than any other life science discipline, neuroscience research requires a multi-level approach involving molecular, cellular, systems, translational and integrative tools.

"There were clear differences in the use of techniques such as real-time PCR, western blotting, RNAi and fluorescence imaging.

"The complicating factor for suppliers is the multi-disciplinary nature of neuroscience that is reflected in the broad array of products and instrumentation needed to support research".

Developing an integrated set of solutions to meet the complex requirements of neuroscientists will be a challenge, but one that offers a high payoff-government and industry spending on basic and clinical research for neuroscience is estimated to be almost $10 billion.

"This level of investment by government and industry across all aspects of research could translate to increased product sales for life science suppliers.

Neuroscience represents a significant growth area for suppliers that take the time to understand the segment's complexities," observes Zemlo.

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