SNP Chip Technology Growth in Genetic Testing

Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip technology has emerged as a powerful tool in genetic testing, enabling researchers and healthcare professionals to analyze genetic variations associated with various traits, diseases, and pharmacogenomic responses.

As the demand for personalized medicine and genetic testing continues to grow, understanding the current market size, projected growth, and key applications of SNP chip technology becomes increasingly important. This article explores the latest statistics and insights surrounding the growth of SNP chip technology in the genetic testing landscape.

Notable Statistics on SNP Chip Technology Growth

Current Market Size and Projected Growth

The SNP genotyping and analysis market, which includes SNP chip technology, is experiencing significant growth and is expected to continue expanding in the coming years.

• The global SNP genotyping and analysis market is estimated to be valued at $20.2 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $80.7 billion by 2030, exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 21.9% during the forecast period (2023-2030)
• The SNP Genotyping Market specifically is poised to grow at a CAGR of 21% by 2028, with North America accounting for the largest market share, indicating strong demand and adoption of SNP chip technology in the region
• The global genotyping market, which encompasses SNP genotyping among other technologies, was valued at $15.09 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.59% from 2023 to 2030, reaching $46 billion by 2030

Performance and Limitations of SNP Chips

While SNP chips excel in genotyping common genetic variants, they aren’t as accurate when detecting very rare variants, which has implications for clinical applications and consumer genetic testing.

• In the UK Biobank study, the Axiom SNP chip showed an average sensitivity of 99.8%, specificity of 99.7%, and precision of 99.0% for common SNPs with a frequency of more than 1%
• However, the positive predictive value was very low for variants with a frequency below 0.001%, with only 16% of heterozygous genotypes from the SNP chips confirmed with sequencing data
• The use of SNP chips for detecting rare pathogenic variants can lead to a high rate of false positives, which can have significant clinical implications, including unnecessary medical procedures
• Direct-to-consumer genetic tests using SNP chips are more likely to be wrong than right at detecting very rare pathogenic variants

Comparison with Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS)

The advent of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies has introduced competitive alternatives to SNP chip technology, offering higher resolution and flexibility for comprehensive genomic studies.

• NGS offers higher resolution and the ability to sequence entire genomes. It also has become more economically viable for many laboratories, challenging the dominance of microarrays.=
• Second-generation NGS technologies are noted for their high throughput and low cost but involve complex sample preparation, while third-generation technologies eliminate the need for PCR amplification, offering longer read lengths and requiring less starting material
• The choice between SNP chip technology and other genetic testing methods, such as whole-genome sequencing for Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT), depends on various factors, including data generation, lab workflow, and clinical implications

Applications and Advancements

SNP chip technology has found applications across various fields, including agricultural breeding, genetic studies, and clinical research.