What Cytoskeleton does

Cytoskeleton, Inc. is a privately held life sciences reagent manufacturer founded in 1993 and headquartered at 1830 S. Acoma Street in Denver, Colorado. The company produces and sells purified cytoskeleton proteins, antibodies, assay kits, fluorescent probes, and biochemical tools used in cell biology, cancer, neuroscience, and cytoskeletal research. Its catalog spans eight product categories — Tubulin & FtsZ, Actin, Small G-proteins, Post-Translational Modification (PTM) Tools, Live Cell Imaging Reagents, Motor Proteins, ECM Proteins, and General Protein Tools — plus the GO-Blot V2 automated western blot processor. Differentiated, trademarked product lines include PTMtrue™ antibodies for detecting ubiquitination, acetylation, SUMOylation, phosphotyrosine, and actin oxidation; Signal Seeker® bead-based PTM detection kits; G-Switch™ GTPase activators and inhibitors such as the CN04 Rho/Rac/Cdc42 activator derived from bacterial cytotoxic necrotizing factor toxins; Acti-stain™ fluorescent phalloidins for super-resolution F-actin imaging; and Spirochrome™ SiR/SPY-series fluorogenic probes for live-cell microtubule, actin, DNA, and lysosome imaging.

Beyond catalog reagents, Cytoskeleton operates three contract research service lines — compound screening (tubulin polymerization, kinesin ATPase, myosin ATPase, GEF, GAP, FtsZ GTPase, and small G-protein activation assays), custom protein purification, and custom assay development — sold to pharma, biotech, and CRO clients. Commercial infrastructure consists of a US direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront on cytoskeleton.com with unit-based pricing ranging from roughly $143 for 1 mg of porcine brain tubulin to $2,090 for 20 mg bulk format, plus a quote-request system for high-volume orders. International sales outside the US, Canada, and Mexico are routed through an authorized distributor network, with all US shipments handled by FedEx Priority Overnight to preserve perishable biologics.

Cytoskeleton reports more than 50,000 scholarly journal citations of its products and over 30 years of operating history, and is privately held with no disclosed parent company, equity investors, or funding rounds. Customer composition spans individual academic researchers and university labs (the largest segment), pharmaceutical and biotech companies developing microtubule-targeting oncology agents and other cytoskeleton-relevant therapeutics, and contract research organizations; named customers include researchers at the University of Miami, SUNY, Middle Tennessee State University, and NeuroInDx, Inc. The company's scale (11–50 employees, single Denver headquarters) and absence of disclosed financial information indicate a focused life-sciences niche operator rather than a venture-backed scale business.

Name

Cytoskeleton

Legal name

Cytoskeleton Inc

Website

https://cytoskeleton.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cytoskeleton, Inc. is a privately held Denver-based life sciences reagent manufacturer supplying purified cytoskeleton proteins, antibodies, assay kits, fluorescent phalloidins, GTPase modulators, and live-cell imaging probes to academic researchers, pharmaceutical and biotech drug-discovery teams, and contract research organizations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Sciences Research Reagents

NAICS

In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB)

Keywords

• Cell biology reagents
• Cytoskeleton research proteins
• Antibody assay kits
• Live cell imaging probes
• Compound screening services

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research reagent product sales: Sale of catalog products including proteins, antibodies, kits, and reagents for cytoskeleton research. Products include tubulin, actin, motor proteins, small G-proteins, PTM tools, and assay kits sold as unit products with per-item pricing.
2. Custom services: Contract research services including compound screening (tubulin polymerization, kinesin ATPase, myosin ATPase, GTPase assays), protein purification, and custom assay development services for pharmaceutical and biotech clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cytoskeleton manufactures and sells high-purity cytoskeletal proteins, affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies, biochemical kits, and live cell imaging reagents used by academic and industry researchers studying cell biology, signal transduction, and drug mechanisms. It complements its catalog products with fee-for-service offerings including custom compound screening, recombinant protein purification, and assay development for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic clients worldwide.

Product overview

Cytoskeleton is a life sciences reagents company offering a comprehensive portfolio of advanced cell biology and protein products for research and drug discovery. The portfolio includes eight main product categories: Tubulin & FtsZ Products (purified tubulins, microtubules, fluorescent tubulins, MAPs, tubulin antibodies, and tubulin polymerization assays); Actin Products (Acti-stain fluorescent phalloidins, actin proteins, actin binding proteins, and actin antibodies); Small G-protein Products (GTPase activators/inhibitors, G-LISA assays, and affinity beads); Post-Translational Modification Products (ubiquitination, acetylation, SUMOylation tools); Live Cell Imaging Reagents (SiR probes, SPY probes, membrane and organelle markers); Motor Protein Products (kinesin, myosin, dynein proteins and assays); ECM Proteins (fluorescent fibronectin and laminin); and General Protein Tools (protein quantitation, cell lysis, ATPase/GTPase assays). The company also offers the GO-Blot V2 automated western blot processor. Custom CRO services include compound screening (tubulin polymerization, kinesin/myosin ATPase, GEF/GAP assays), protein purification, and assay development. Supporting over 50,000 product citations in scholarly journals with 30+ years of service to the scientific community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• G-Switch: Line of products including CN04 for small G-protein activation derived from bacterial CNF toxins
• Signal-Seeker
• Acti-stain
• SiR
• SPY
• BlastR

Products and services

• Tubulin & FtsZ Products High-purity recombinant tubulin and FtsZ proteins with tiered bulk quantities (1 mg, 5 mg, 20 mg) for microtubule research, drug screening, and bacterial cell division studies. Targeted at academic cell biology labs and biopharma R&D groups.
• Actin Products Recombinant actin proteins, actin-binding proteins, and actin filament assembly reagents used to study cytoskeletal dynamics in cell biology, neurobiology, and drug mechanism studies.
• Small G-protein Products Small G-protein (Ras, Rho, Rab, Arf, Ran family) reagents, including G-Switch activation assays, for studying GTPase signaling in cancer biology, neuroscience, and cell signaling research.
• Motor Protein Products Recombinant kinesin, dynein, and myosin motor proteins for studying intracellular transport, muscle contraction, and cytoskeletal motor mechanisms.
• Post-Translational Modification (PTM) Products Signal Seeker PTM detection kits and PTMtrue affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies for identifying and quantifying protein post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and acetylation.
• Live Cell Imaging Reagents Fluorescent live cell imaging probes including Spirochrome and SiR-based probes for real-time, non-toxic visualization of cytoskeletal structures and cellular processes in living cells.
• ECM Proteins Extracellular matrix proteins and associated reagents for cell adhesion, migration, differentiation, and tissue-engineering research applications.
• GO-Blot V2 Gel-based immunoblotting platform and associated reagents for detecting cytoskeletal proteins and post-translational modifications with high sensitivity.
• General Protein Tools Standard protein biochemistry reagents, buffers, and accessory tools supporting cell biology and cytoskeletal research workflows.
• Compound Screening Services Custom fee-for-service small-molecule and compound screening against cytoskeletal targets and signaling pathways, executed for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic clients.
• Protein Purification Services Custom recombinant protein expression and purification services, including difficult-to-express cytoskeletal and signaling proteins, for academic and industry clients.
• Assay Development Services Custom biochemical and cell-based assay design, validation, and optimization services built around the company's cytoskeletal and signal-transduction reagent portfolio for drug discovery and basic research clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• >50,000 scholarly journal citations demonstrating scientific validation of products
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Authorized Distributor NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal network of authorized distributors who supply Cytoskeleton products worldwide, ensuring reliable local access and support for international customers. The company explicitly lists these as trusted partners who provide local support for research and production needs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cytiva: Cytiva (formerly GE Healthcare Life Sciences) supplies a broad portfolio of life science reagents and lab tools. While much larger and broader, Cytiva overlaps with Cytoskeleton in protein purification, cytoskeletal research reagents, and custom bioproducts.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Through its Life Sciences Solutions segment (including Invitrogen and Pierce), Thermo Fisher offers proteins, antibodies, kits, and instruments that directly overlap with Cytoskeleton's catalog. Its scale and bundling power make it the most consequential broad incumbent competitor.
• MilliporeSigma (Sigma-Aldrich): Sigma-Aldrich / MilliporeSigma is the dominant catalog reagent supplier and competes across nearly every Cytoskeleton product line (proteins, antibodies, assay kits, small molecules) — the primary broad-line incumbent benchmark for catalog and pricing pressure.

Direct peers

• Cayman Chemical: Cayman Chemical manufactures biochemical research tools, including small molecules and assay kits for cell biology. It overlaps with Cytoskeleton's compound screening reagents and assay development services for cytoskeletal and signaling targets.
• Abcam: Abcam is a leading antibody supplier with strong overlap to Cytoskeleton's tubulin, actin, and PTM antibody portfolio. Both target academic and pharma researchers prioritizing antibody validation and reproducibility.
• Cell Signaling Technology: CST produces antibodies, kits, and assays for cell signaling research, including PTM detection products that overlap directly with Cytoskeleton's PTMtrue™ and Signal Seeker® lines. Both serve academic and pharma researchers needing reproducible signaling and cytoskeletal pathway tools.
• Active Motif: Active Motif specializes in epigenetics, transcription factor, and PTM research kits/antibodies — directly comparable to Cytoskeleton's Signal Seeker® and PTMtrue™ product lines for ubiquitin, acetylation, and SUMOylation research.
• Bio-Techne (R&D Systems / Tocris): Bio-Techne operates R&D Systems (proteins/ELISAs) and Tocris (small molecule probes/compounds) — both directly competitive with Cytoskeleton's protein, ELISA, and small-molecule inhibitor offerings for cytoskeleton and cell biology research.
• Tocris Bioscience: Tocris supplies small molecule inhibitors, agonists, and probes for cell signaling and cytoskeletal research — directly competing with Cytoskeleton's G-Switch™ and drug/buffer offerings (e.g., taxanes, Rho GTPase modulators).
• Santa Cruz Biotechnology: Santa Cruz Biotechnology sells a broad catalog of research antibodies, including cytoskeletal and signaling targets. While its scientific reputation is mixed, it competes head-to-head with Cytoskeleton on antibody pricing and catalog breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cytoskeleton-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cytoskeleton