Press Releases

Cell Signaling Technology enters co-development and co-marketing agreement with Beckman Coulter, Inc.

Beverly, MA - February 20, 2003 – Cell Signaling Technology (CST) today announced it has entered into a reagent development and distribution agreement with Beckman Coulter, Inc. (NYSE:BEC). Under the agreement, Beckman Coulter will distribute existing CST reagents and newly co-developed cell signaling reagents optimized for use in flow cytometry. In addition, the companies will co-develop multiplex panels of activation-state specific antibodies to explore, define and monitor major regulatory circuits controlling cell growth, differentiation and cell death using flow cytometry.

“The analysis of signal transduction is increasingly central to research in cancer and other disease areas,” said Michael Melnick, PhD, director of business and corporate development at Cell Signaling Technology. “By combining flow cytometry with high quality activation state-specific antibodies from Cell Signaling Technology, it is now possible to examine complex signaling cascades in dissociated disease tissue, aspirates, or hematology specimens as well as cell lines.”

“The agreement with CST reinforces Beckman Coulter’s commitment to continued world leadership in automated solutions for cell analysis,” said Elias Caro, president of Beckman Coulter’s Biomedical Research Division. “This collaboration supports our strategy to integrate the sciences of genomics and proteomics with the study of cellular function - cytomics.”

Signal transduction pathways are the communication highways by which cells process signals from the external environment. Within cells these pathways coordinate many cell functions and intercellular interactions. Flow cytometry offers a unique opportunity to study signal transduction pathways in complex cell populations. It is a reliable, effective technology that allows simultaneous measurements of events within single cells and thus provides a unique tool for identification of multiple molecules participating in cell signaling pathways. Future studies are essential to determine how variations in specific signal transduction pathways may lead to a number of medical conditions including cancer, congenital disorders, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, and degenerative disorders.

“Elucidation of the various signaling pathways and their interconnections is triggering the development of new molecularly targeted therapies and will drive the development of theranostics (therapy-driven diagnostic testing) while changing the practice of medicine,” said David Hedley, M.D., senior scientist for the Experimental Therapeutics Division of the Ontario Cancer Institute in Canada.

Founded in 1999 by scientists from New England Biolabs, Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. is a global leader in developing and commercializing “smart” or activation-state-specific antibodies. These antibodies report protein activity and play an important role in defining the cell’s major regulatory circuits and the mechanisms underlying cell function and disease. Additional information about CST, as well as an extensive scientific reference resource for signal transduction, may be found at www.cellsignal.com.

Beckman Coulter, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of instrument systems, chemistries and supplies that simplify and automate laboratory processes. At the forefront of medical discovery, in clinical research and through the often life-saving process of clinical diagnostics, Beckman Coulter’s 200,000 installed systems provide essential biomedical intelligence to enhance health care around the world. The company, based in Fullerton, Calif., reported 2002 annual sales of $2.06 billion with 62 percent of this amount generated by recurring revenue from supplies, test kits and services. For more information, visit www.beckmancoulter.com.