Team:BIOSINT Mexico/market

From 2012e.igem.org

Kuxtal

WHAT I CANNOT CREATE, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND RICHARD FEYNMAN’S
The Aztecs associated chocolate to the goddess of fertility.
Her name was Xochiquetzal, known as xocoatl.

Market Analysis

The client.

Kuxtal Biotech’s potential clients are research centers with molecular biology related research, as might be medicine, pharmaceutical, food industries, agriculture, cosmetology, biorremediation, among others. This market can be found in different states across the country but specially in those with high technological development.

The clients are mainly limited by budgets to the research work and by the funds distributed to this area, either the government or the private sector. According to the market segmentation, such clients will require accessible prices due to the budget limitations to fund their research. These clients require very personalized attention because every project requires a specialized product (sequence). Additionally, the client has to meet very strict milestones to achieve with very restrictive dates, making delivery time a crucial part of the service provided.

The market.

DEFINITION: Business and research institutions in México that perform labors related to molecular biology. The offered services will compile with the following characteristics:
• Personalized production.
• Synthesis of oligonucleotides from DNA or RNA.
• Average length of 20 nucleotides.

SEGMENTATION:
• Geographic area: México.
• Type of bussines: Industrial.
• Entry type: R&D.
• Public sector: Educative institutions, Research centers.
• Private sector: Research laboratories, Educative institutions, Business.
• Special characteristics: Molecular biology projects.

DIMENSION:
• Mexican companies that invest in R&D of new products in biotechnology: 1416.
• Mayor universities and research centers of the area (both public and private) associated with the Tecnológico de Monterrey (as of 2009): 112.
• Number of pharmaceutical companies in México: 205.
• 1614 lines of research that involve molecular biology across 71 research centers.

The competition.

In 2007 there were already about 50 companies worldwide, with a production of around 50,000 per year or 2000 genes and private sector companies producing between 10-2000 orders per month. Assuming that this number will remain constant, or that the price begins to fall for the economic boost to this sector and emerging competition, world output could even double by the year 2015. Orders normal genes have a size ranging between 500 and 2000 nucleotides, although longer synthesis have been reported around 35,000 genes bases in length. Currently some companies engaged in the synthesis of genes have earnings of about $ 2 million per year, allowing them to survive, it is expected that within a few years, by automating processes gains, will be greater; however, it’s important to mantain good relations with customers in order to achieve greater gains. As mentioned above one of the barriers currently in gene synthesis is the full automation of processes, because part of the gene synthesis procedure involves manual techniques, sometimes involving human error. Another barrier is obtaining licenses to export genes by the "dual use genes", so companies need to invest time and money in getting this permission.