Former Harvard Medical School neuroscientist Michael Comb founded Cell Signaling
Technology (CST) because he saw a need for higher-quality antibody reagents in basic
and clinical research. He built CST on a principle he inherited from his father: Research
scientists are the best people to provide other researchers with the highest-quality
products for their experiments.“Working here has always felt to me like the science comes first, as
opposed to being beholden to shareholders,” says Katie Crosby, director of
immunohistochemistry and the Western Blot Core, located at CST headquarters in
Danvers, Massachusetts. Crosby has worked at CST since its beginning, when the
life science company spun out from its parental powerhouse, New England BioLabs
(founded by Michael Combs’s father, Donald), in 1999. She’s seen CST grow and come
into its own in the last 23 years.
Headed by Michael Comb, a team of active research scientists like Crosby
leads the family-owned, privately held company, with an ultimate commitment to
advancing science in the right direction.
“What drives this company is the very deep desire to make an impact on
biomedical research,” says Roberto Polakiewicz, chief scientific officer of CST. “As
a scientifically driven company, we develop products based on decisions made by
scientists who understand the needs of researchers, because they understand the
science.”
CST also understands its scientist customers and the challenges of running
rigorous, reproducible life science experiments. CST provides life sciencestools, such as antibodies used for Western blotting, immunohistochemistry,
immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry, immunoprecipitation, and proteomics
applications as well as antibody- and epigenetics-based kits. Company products
focus on applications in cancer research, neurodegeneration, immunology and
immuno-oncology, and epigenetics. Because its employees understand the high
stakes involved in biomedical research, CST goes the extra mile to validate their
antibody products. Their scientists even answer customers’ support calls and emails
and troubleshoot experiments to help researchers do their best work.
CST specializes in recombinant monoclonal antibodies, which offer several
advantages over traditional monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies. Developing a
recombinant antibody starts with knowing the specific genetic sequences for both
the antibody’s light chain and heavy chain, which can then be introduced into
cultured cells for expression. Perhaps their biggest advantage is that recombinant
antibodies offer excellent lot-to-lot consistency and can be produced in an almost
unlimited supply, without the use of animals.Validation campaigns as mini research projects
CST antibodies go through a rigorous validation process to ensure the antibody
binds its target with high specificity in a variety of experimental scenarios.
“These validation campaigns are almost mini research projects,” says Crosby.
“We put in a tremendous amount of effort to show that the antibody identifies the
right protein in the right application. That saves our customers from spending time
doing that on their own.”Advertorial
Cell Signaling Technology:
The life science company that life scientists built
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CSTThe lush lobby of CST headquarters in Danvers, Massachusetts.0415Product.indd 216 4/7/22 7:55 AM