Bento Lab 🧬

PCR workstation with laptop-sized footprint? ✅ 32-well thermocycler? ✅ 8,000 × G centrifuge? ✅ Electrophoresis unit? ✅ Blue light transilluminator? ✅ Spare capacity/fieldwork/teaching/at home? ✅ Affordable and portable✅ Check out Bento Lab here: bento.bio/product/bento-…

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Doing science in a camper van, what's cooking?

Who doesn't love a camperlab?

@igkarimov We have different Bento Lab models available - see more here: bento.bio/bento-lab/. We also have discounted refurbished units. The accuracy is similar to a traditional thermocycler. The sequencer used in the workflow is made by @nanopore

@theBentoLab How much can it cost and what is the accuracy?

Genome sequencing goes off-grid! 🚐🧬 Researchers from Johns Hopkins successfully sequenced the Red Coachwhip snake (Masticophis flagellum piceus) genome using a mobile lab in a camper van. Using a ONT Nanopore P2 Solo sequencing and Bento Lab, they show that genomes can be assembled at relatively low cost and without the need for a large laboratory! 🐍 Nuclear & mitochondrial genomes of Masticophis flagellum piceus sequenced 🐍 BUSCO completeness score better than most current snake genomes 🐍 All work done in field- or field-simulated settings A great step toward decentralising and democratizing genomics, especially for research in remote locations! You can read the article here: Scott & Mohr (2026). A Nanopore-Only Assembly of a Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genome of a Red Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum piceus). Genes, 17(3), 307. doi.org/10.3390/genes1… Images copyright Alan F. Scott.

The dream....

💸 Apply for up to $3000 biotech microgrant! Biology doesn’t need another 5-year grant cycle to test an idea. That’s why we launched @PrimordiaGrants. A microgrants initiative by ValleyDAO x @BiopunkLab helping early-stage bio experiments move from notebook to lab. Up to $3000 for experiments run in community labs, with open lab notes and a public showcase of results. Students, independent researchers, and community bio builders are all welcome. No institutional affiliation required. 🗓️ Submit your experiment before March 31, 2026. 👉 Apply here: primordiagrants.com

Curious how PCR can help students study insect prey & parasites in the field? Researchers recently shared their 1-day Bento Lab protocol: 🕷️ Adaptable workflow for ecology studies 🕷️ Field-ready, practical steps 🕷️ Tested in 2023/24 & 2024/25 courses 🔗 slack.protocols.io:8443/view/field-bas…

このフナコシさんとこのBento Labちゃん、遠心分離機・サーマルサイクラー・電気泳動装置・青色トランスイルミネーターにチューブ立て、撮影用の簡易暗室ボックスまで付いててすごいなぁ…といつも思う。

From poultry enthusiast to bird-sexing lab owner! 🐣🧬 Brittney Knight started out with no PCR experience, learned how to sex birds using Bento Lab, and now runs her own successful bird sexing laboratory. We’re very excited to share her story and how she got started. Read all about her inspiring journey here 👇 bento.bio/story/solving-…

February Round-up: Leopard Detection, Malaria Surveillance, New Teaching Lab, and more bento.bio/blog/2026/02/2…

This is what makes portable equipment like our Bento Lab exciting - you can start quickly, get results on-site, and share skills to build local capacity. Molecular analysis doesn’t have to wait on sample transport. It can happen right where it matters, and it’s brilliant to see it in action here.

Wonderful to see Amy Bei's team and their collaborators processing hundreds of malaria samples in real time, while training scientists from across the country! Congrats to all the fantastic team members across Yale, INSAPT, and PNUD Tchad!

Looking for a hands-on way to teach PCR? Here are four case studies using DNA barcoding: 🌿 Teach lab + bioinformatics 🌿 Insects, fungi, and algae 🌿 Formats from 3 days to full courses 🔗Read it here: bento.bio/resources/educ…

BeeCode Berlin, a pioneering citizen science project, helped high school students learn PCR by DNA barcoding honeybees: 🐝Community centre labs using Bento Lab 🐝DNA hackathons and poster event 🐝Subspecies & genetic resilience insights 🔗 Read more: bento.bio/story/dna-barc…

@sciqst I'm glad you thought it interesting! You'd have to address those technical questions to the study authors, sorry - we just build Bento Lab and share some of the amazing work by people who use it.

Impressive application of portable metagenomics, Bento Lab! It's intriguing to see such field-ready methods yielding results comparable to traditional lab settings, especially with quantitative insights. How does this workflow handle potential environmental variations in water samples? And are there specific advantages you've noted with digital PCR comparisons? For those delving deeper into metagenomics or any biomedical questions, explore sciqst.com — it's a comprehensive platform that generates detailed biomedical reviews. #Metagenomics #FieldResearch #ScienceInnovation

Interested in portable metagenomics for water samples? Here’s a preprint using Bento Lab + ONT MinION with a QUANTITATIVE workflow! ⭐5 field & 4 lab methods tested ⭐Results compared to digital PCR ⭐Field results comparable to lab performance 🔗👇 biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

Bringing PCR to the classroom? BioSTEM shows how hands-on genetics education can work, even in remote schools. 🧬 Real PCR experiments with Bento Lab 🧬 6,000+ students trained 🧬 Boosted genomics understanding 🔗 Read more: doi.org/10.1186/s40246…

Interested in how portable sequencing could improve patient care in remote & under-resourced hospitals? Here's a case report from Tanzania in which a mobile setup (Bento Lab + ONT MinION) helped to diagnose a child’s infection when routine tests failed! cell.com/heliyon/fullte…