Sepsis Gap & Home Testing Growth: Interview with Kalorama Information’s Daniel Granderson

This special blog post is reprinted with permission from the Eye on IVD newsletter and features an interview with Kalorama Senior Editor Daniel Granderson, offering insights into the IVD market outlook for 2026.

Before we shift attention to J.P. Morgan Healthcare this year, let’s get a sense of where we are in in vitro diagnostics markets. To do that, we asked Kalorama Information Editor Daniel Alexander Granderson a few questions about his recent market research reports in two hot areas.

BRUCE CARLSON: On Sepsis, Kalorama came out with a report recently and you revealed the CAGR on Linked In, so no spoiler alert here at a little over 6%… that’s good but not huge growth. Any comment on that and on the report?

DANIEL GRANDERSON: A lot goes into Kalorama’s 6+% CAGR forecast for the global sepsis market between 2025-2031. [Report: https://insights.scienceandmedicinegroup.com/sepsis-diagnostics-market-forecasts-insights-to-2031/]. The sepsis diagnostics market is both highly fragmented and unusually dynamic, which makes it especially interesting right now. In 2026, large, diversified diagnostics companies such as bioMérieux Clinical Diagnostics (IVD), BD, Roche, and Danaher Corporation remain highly visible players, but their leadership should be viewed as contextual rather than absolute. No single vendor has cracked the sepsis market yet.

“The [sepsis testing] market continues to see ongoing product launches…even as some companies pull back from sepsis‑specific strategies.”

Diagnosis is rarely dependent on a single test; it typically relies on a combination of technologies (including biomarkers, molecular assays, culture, and increasingly advanced analytics). That complexity has created what Kalorama’s analysts have described as a sepsis innovation gap.

BRUCE CARLSON: Tell me more about this sepsis innovation gap. I think I know what that means, but….

DANIEL GRANDERSON: Despite sepsis being one of the costliest conditions treated in U.S. hospitals, adoption of truly novel diagnostic approaches has been slower than expected. Emerging companies, such as those developing rapid cellular analysis or AI‑enabled tools, have demonstrated clinical promise, yet uptake is constrained by familiar barriers: high upfront costs, uncertain reimbursement, workflow disruption, and entrenched clinical practices.

BRUCE CARLSON: OK That’s what I thought. Lots of new shiny objects, but a lot of institutional practice hurdles. As in”OK, it can do better with sepsis in a journal article, how much better in our hospital? And is the disruption factored in?”

DANIEL GRANDERSON: Systems will sell, that’s why the CAGR is where it is. But bridging this gap will require not just better technology, but clear clinical-economic evidence, defined reimbursement pathways, and a shift in how hospitals think about sepsis triage and risk stratification.

From a market perspective, however, the fundamentals remain strong. As mentioned, Kalorama forecasts a CAGR of slightly more than 6% between 2025 and 2031. You referenced earlier that the CAGR was lower, maybe than expectations. I should say that the report breaks out biomarkers and mass spectrometry, and the CAGR will differ between the segments.

Likewise, geographically, though the United States anchors overall sepsis market revenues, Kalorama forecasts faster expansion in regions outside of North America, particularly Asia, Latin America, and Africa/Middle East. So don’t be surprised if the global market balance looks a little different by the end of the decade even as the U.S. remains the most dominant region for the sepsis market.

BRUCE CARLSON: Testing in the home and collecting samples in the home. You’ve got a report. What did that report find that you are able to reveal?

DANIEL GRANDERSON: This (global market for Home Testing) – https://www.scienceandmedicinegroup.com/product/global-market-for-at-home-and-home-collection-in-vitro-diagnostic-ivd-testing-2025-2030/ was an exciting report for Kalorama, as we focused on why home IVD testing represents one of the most meaningful structural shifts the diagnostics industry has seen in decades.

“…we forecast mid-single digit from 2025-2030 yet recognize that even that trajectory could accelerate further”

What really stood out in our research is that home IVD testing has moved beyond novelty and firmly into its next growth phase. The COVID‑19 pandemic dramatically lowered psychological and practical barriers to self‑testing.

Our report distinguishes between two fast‑evolving segments: true at‑home tests, which deliver immediate results without lab involvement, and home‑collection tests, where the sample is collected at home and analyzed centrally. Both are growing, but advances in non‑invasive sample collection (such as saliva, buccal swabs, urine, and breath) are particularly important because they remove one of the historical choke points to adoption: reluctance around blood collection.

In the report we forecast mid-single digit from 2025-2030 yet recognize that even that trajectory could accelerate further as digital health integration, AI‑enabled interpretation, and broader reimbursement frameworks take hold.

BRUCE CARLSON: Question: Generally what is Kalorama planning in the next few months.

DANIEL GRANDERSON: Kalorama is heading into one of its most ambitious and exciting periods yet. We’ve always been known for tackling the industry’s most important and complex IVD topics, and 2026 is shaping up to be a standout year in terms of depth, consistency, and tone.

One of the most immediate changes is the return of our In Vitro Diagnostics Business Outlook newsletter and market magazine to a monthly publication schedule.

BRUCE CARLSON: As you know I’m glad to see that and I had some role in it, so good to see it moving. I’m a big fan of Instrument Business Outlook, or IBO life science companies love it. IVDBO is somewhat modeled after that?

DANIEL GRANDERSON: Yes with differences designed for in vitro diagnostics. Now with twelve issues. This means our subscribers will receive more timely, actionable insights on market shifts, regulatory developments, and competitive dynamics throughout the year.

BRUCE CARLSON: What topics are you covering?

DANIEL GRANDERSON: Early 2026 editions will focus on high‑impact topics such as reimbursement, quality control reagents, and cardiac markers.

BRUCE CARLSON: New hypertension guidelines out – tell the analyst to look out for that! They don’t call for marker use – too expensive to mandate – but it should drive some usage anyway.

DANIEL GRANDERSON: Noted. Later in the year, we will release an issue dedicated to respiratory testing, with that respiratory issue intentionally timed to coincide with the peak of flu season in the United States

Of course, Kalorama is best known for its flagship Worldwide In Vitro Diagnostics report, and we’re approaching a major milestone. With the 19th and 20th editions on the horizon, the scope and rigor of this report continue to set the industry standard—covering everything from clinical chemistry and immunoassays to molecular diagnostics and point‑of‑care testing. While others have tried to replicate this level of analysis, our longevity and consistency speak for themselves.

Kalorama’s parent company is Science and Medicine Group. And following Science and Medicine Group’s website overhaul in 2025, additional enhancements are rolling out in 2026—including more blogs, video report summaries, and curated content aimed at making Kalorama’s research even more accessible and impactful.

Officially, Eye On IVD has no relationship with Kalorama (nor my current employer, IEEE).

We thank Daniel for his time and we’ll have him come on again as we move along 2026. Kalorama’s reports can be found at www.kaloramainformation.com