Cord blood banking is a profitable and rapidly growing industry. Ten years ago, there were only 23 cord blood banks worldwide; now, there are nearly 500, a 21-fold increase (2,100%) in the companies involved in the industry over the past decade. This rate of growth has generated enormous interest in the industry from venture capital funds, investment banks, and even individual investors, including Richard Branson—the billionaire business magnate and investor who now owns the Virgin Health Bank as one of his portfolio companies.

The key metrics, among others, that investors must know in order to profit from the cord blood banking sector are the current and historical market penetration rates. As the global leader in cord blood industry data, BioInformant was recently asked by the Wall Street Journal (a major U.S. news outlet) to provide data on market penetration rates for U.S. private cord blood banking since 2004, a 10-year historical analysis. Because this is a powerful question and the answer reveals critical market data, BioInformant is also sharing the findings with our readers.

Let’s dig into the numbers…

BioInformant Worldwide, L.L.C., is the global leader in stem cell industry data. As a specialty research company, BioInformant uses technology to track and identify profitable opportunities within the stem cell sector and provide this data to clients pursuing aggressive growth.

BioInformant is the only market intelligence company that has specifically served the stem cell sector since it emerged, and its singular focus allows its team of technology specialists, business analysts and scientific experts to produce data that enables company decision-makers to better understand their markets, competitors and customers.

In the two past decades, the healthcare industry in China has been growing at a fast pace, as it is a tremendous challenge to provide healthcare for 1.3 billion people. According to Asia Market Information and Development Company, the dramatic expansions of the healthcare system, drug manufacturing, and health insurance have transformed China’s society and economy. Life expectancy has now reached 76.8 for women and 72.5 for men compared to 69.9 for women and 66.9 for men in 1990. Demographic transition from high mortality to low mortality has helped drive this increase in life expectancy. Primary diseases have also shifted from infectious to chronic. Cancer, heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases are now top killers. As of now, spending on healthcare counts for over 5% of GDP and that will only continue to increase in the next decade. 

Successful market research is all about asking the right questions. No matter what industry you are in, there are specific questions to consider before diving into your market research. Particularly in the Biotechnology industry, certain factors must be taken into consideration in order to ensure that your research will be the most relevant and effective. Bruce Carlson, Publisher at one of the industry's leading market research producers, Kalorama Information, has laid out three of the most important questions to ask when researching in this field: