In any sector there are always a select few people who contribute outstanding impact over their careers. The Lifetime achievement award stands to highlight those individuals. This year, the award goes to Dr Michael Comb, Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Cell Signaling Technology.

For this award, our judges were looking for nominations for individuals who have made a significant contribution to the research reagent industry over a sustained period of time - and for the first year we were looking beyond antibodies to the life science industry more widely.

Michael leads Cell Signaling Technology’s goal to build the best antibody technology in the world for researchers working to understand the molecular and cellular processes of disease. He founded the company to provide the research community with tools that he himself had sought as an investigator.

Before starting Cell Signaling Technology in 1999, Michael directed the Molecular Neurobiology Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital and served as an Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School.

Michael holds a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Oregon. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific articles and is the inventor on numerous patents and patent applications.

Those nominating Dr Michael Comb for this prestigious award spoke of his dedication to the core business of Cell Signaling Technology through efforts such as maintaining a focus on product quality over quantity. They also outlined his wider societal concerns including his commitment to the preservation of the environment, installing solar energy at all of Cell Signaling Technology’s facilities, introducing recycling and composting programmes, and making use of recyclable and compostable shipping materials.

Dr Andrew Chalmers, founder of CiteAb, said: “I really don't think that anybody in this sector would dispute that Dr Comb is incredibly worthy of this award, and the fact that the head of a leading competitor mentioned that he would be their choice makes this clear. To found and lead a company with such a focus on quality and deliver in such a successful way that their antibodies generate more citations than any other supplier, and to have been chosen as researchers’ favourite company shows how successful his company has been at achieving his aim.”

View past winners