真乄科技業的頂尖投資團隊

醫療保健領域的MEMS和微系統

大趨勢將推動生物MEMS市場在未來五年持續增長

麥姆斯諮詢認為，隨著“嬰兒潮”一代人群的老齡化，人們的醫療保健問題變的空前重要。體外診斷、藥物研究、病患監測、給藥方式以及植入式醫療器械等領域都在不斷發展，系統集成商們需要創新的技術來迅速提高產品性能、降低產品成本、縮小產品尺寸。生物MEMS技術為所有這些領域帶來改進的傳感和執行功能的微型器件，如加速度傳感器、壓力傳感器、流量傳感器以及微泵。生物MEMS技術在醫療保健領域的應用很多，市場也很分散。Yole Développement（以下簡稱Yole）最新出版的生物MEMS報告提供多種生物MEMS器件及其相關應用介紹，以及不同應用所使用的生物MEMS器件供需兩端情況。

醫療保健領域的六大細分市場：病人監測、體外診斷、醫療成像、病人護理、給藥和藥物研究

通過對上述應用市場進行分析，結果顯示，這些應用對相似系列的MEMS器件技術要求也是非常多樣化的。生物MEMS技術已經被應用多年，有些技術應用於穩定、成熟、增長緩慢的產業，另一些則應用於那些蓬勃發展的朝陽應用，這些應用也為生物MEMS市場帶來了新活力，預計到2021年，生物MEMS市場將從2015年的27億美元增長至76億美元。在Yole最新出版的生物MEMS報告中，針對所有生物MEMS應用領域，給出以美元為貨幣單位的營收增長預測，以及每種MEMS器件的出貨量預測。例如，報告中突顯了某種應用的傳感器從可重複利用轉變為一次性使用，這將推動市場容量大幅增長。

2015~2021年生物MEMS市場中各種器件的發展趨勢

從外骨骼到視網膜植入物和氣體傳感器，這些新興的朝陽應用因為生物MEMS技術得以實現

儘管某些MEMS器件已經被使用多年，Yole還是發現了一些使用現有傳感器的新興醫療應用，這為生物MEMS技術創造了新的市場機遇。其中一個案例便是集成了慣性傳感器的外骨骼。同時，Yole也跟踪到生物MEMS市場湧現出的全新傳感器，這些新型傳感器具有新的功能，帶來了前所未有的新機遇。這個例子便是氣體傳感器，Yole分析師們用了一整個章節來詳細介紹這些新型MEMS器件，以及它們的醫療應用。Yole分析師們也在跟踪其它基於生物MEMS技術的創新系統，這些系統已經開發多年，歸功於那些成功解決技術難題的公司，是它們使這些新系統通過臨床試驗和法規認證得以進入市場。這些公司有Pixium Vision、Retina Implant AG、Ekso Bionics以及Aerocrine，它們都在朝著市場准入和病患接受度方面而努力。

新興生物MEMS應用

市場轉變：消費類醫療保健市場興起

生物MEMS市場已達數十億美元，許多生物MEMS技術應用對相同系列的器件也會有各自不同的需求。這一市場是極其分散的，伴隨著眾多分散的利基市場，許多初創公司需要不斷努力去滿足市場需求。該領域使用的高價值設備包含了很昂貴的特殊MEMS器件。因此，典型生物MEMS器件市場銷售量很少能突破100萬顆，從而無法通過大規模生產來降低成本。但是，Yole認為生物MEMS產業已經臨近拐點。事實上，我們關注到最近市場上充斥著大量應用於移動設備和可穿戴設備的生物MEMS器件，這些集成生物MEMS的傳感器模塊可應用於健康監測，如糖尿病監測、血壓監測等，這使得消費類應用和醫療保健應用之間的界限越來越模糊。同時，能夠進行遠程診斷和監測的家庭醫療器械也越來越被消費者認可和接受，相關法律法規也為適應這些新興器械而正在調整和完善。Yole預測，可穿戴設備和移動設備集成生物MEMS模塊的趨勢將保持增長。

這一趨勢將幫助生物MEMS產業從中等規模生產向大規模生產過渡，使產品成本能夠顯著降低。儘管廣泛接受這些集成生物MEMS器件的移動設備，還面臨著諸多挑戰，但是我們已經發現主流半導體和電子廠商正在尋找自己的市場定位。

消費類醫療保健市場興起

With the barrier between consumer and healthcare blurring, an increasing number of healthcare applications are using MEMS components, resulting in impressive market growth!

MAJOR TRENDS WILL PROPEL THE BIOMEMS MARKET FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

Faced with an aging “baby boomer” population, healthcare is more important than ever. In-vitro diagnostics, pharmaceutical research, patient monitoring, drug delivery, and implantable devices: all of these fields are growing and system integrators need new innovative technologies to rapidly improve performance, cost and size. Enter bioMEMS: micro components such as accelerometers, pressure sensors, flow sensors, and micropumps bring improved sensing and actuating functions for all of these healthcare fields. The applications are many and the market is quite segmented. Yole Développement’s BioMEMS report provides an overview of the diverse bioMEMS components and applications, along with who is using/ providing which component for which application. As a consequence of this “applications array”, the technical requirements are extremely diverse amongst similar component families.

BioMEMS have been used for years. Some are linked to solid, mature, slow-growing industries, while others are part of booming applications that are adding new fuel to the bioMEMS market – a market that will triple from $2.7B in 2015 to $7.6B in 2021! In Yole’s BioMEMS report, this dynamic growth is forecast in dollars and in units per component, taking into account the influence of all bioMEMS applications. For example, the report highlights the transition from reusable sensors to disposable ones in certain applications, thus driving huge growth in market volume.

FROM EXOSKELETONS TO RETINAL IMPLANTS AND GAS SENSORS, NEW PROMISING APPLICATIONS ARE EMERGING THANKS TO BIOMEMS

Though certain components have been used for years, Yole has identified several new medical applications using existing sensors, thus creating new market opportunities for these bioMEMS. One example is exoskeletons, which use inertial sensors. Moreover, Yole tracked the emergence of brand-new sensors on the bioMEMS market that bring new functions and enable unprecedented opportunities. This is the case of gas sensors, which Yole’s analysts have dedicated an entire chapter to in order to provide precise information about these new components and their medical applications. Yole’s analysts have also followed other innovative bioMEMS-based systems which have been in development for years and are now entering the market thanks to companies successfully addressing technical challenges and passing clinical trials and regulations approval. Companies like Pixium Vision, Retina Implant AG, Ekso Bionics, and Aerocrine, all of which are moving towards market access and patient acceptation.

THE RISE OF CONSUMER HEALTHCARE: A PARADIGM SHIFT

Despite being a multi-billion-dollar market, many applications use bioMEMS that have different requirements for the same component families. The market is extremely fragmented, with numerous niche segments in which startup companies manage to address unmet needs. The high-value devices used here include unique components which are often very expensive. Thus, the volume associated with the typical bioMEMS component rarely exceeds 1M units, prohibiting cost reduction via high-volume manufacturing. However, Yole Développement thinks the bioMEMS industry is nearing a major turning point. Indeed, following the recent flooding of the market with numerous modules for mobile devices and wearables integrating sensors for vital-signs monitoring (diabetes, blood pressure, etc.), the line between consumer and healthcare applications is fuzzier than ever. In the meantime, home care devices allowing remote diagnostics and monitoring are being increasingly adopted by consumers while regulations adapting to these new devices. Yole Développement forecasts an increasing integration of bioMEMS in wearables and modules for mobile devices.

This has the potential to help the industry cross the gap between medium and large volumes, enabling significant cost reductions. Though there are still many challenges to address before wide acceptance of these mobile devices, we already see major semiconductor and electronics players positioning themselves in this market.

Source:YOLE