Ever Wanted to Tinker With DNA? You May Soon Be Able To.
Hang on to your collection tubes, citizen scientists, a new kit has the power to revolutionize DNA analysis and research — by making it accessible and affordable for average folks like you and me.
Bento Lab’s DIY DNA analysis kit is small enough to fit in a backpack (think: bento box lunches) and can analyze DNA from saliva, hair, animal tissue and even beer or wine.
“Every since I was 15, I've been in love with DNA. I mean, what could be cooler than understanding the code of life,” says Bento Lab co-founder Bethan Wolfenden. “Working with DNA in a laboratory is something most of us never get to experience.”
Wolfenden notes that this “lack of access really reminds me of computers in the 1950s,” Computers got smaller and smaller and more affordable over time, which has expanded access tremendously. Wolfenden believes that Bento Lab could potentially do the same for DNA.
Using Bento Lab is relatively simple if you know lab basics or are keen to learn (the lab comes with an instruction booklet and connected community). You collect a sample and place into the centrifuge in the middle of the product for DNA extraction. A PCR machine on the right-hand side then copies the genes and a gel unit allows you to visualize the DNA.
This type of equipment is usually very expensive and typically requires DNA experts to run the various machines, but the Bento Lab will run you a comparably affordable $793. It's a steal considering that it allows you to test a variety of products that could cost hundreds of thousands to farm out to a lab service.
These are just a small sample of experiments you can do with Bento Lab:
- Test a hamburger to see if it contains horse meat
- Identify genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
- Find out if your taste buds detect bitter flavors by testing your variation of the PTC gene
- Check if you are built for endurance by testing your variation of the “athlete” gene ACTN3
- Explore how blood group genotyping works
- Identify poisonous and non-poisonous types of mushrooms
- Typify the genetic code of your homemade beer
Bento Lab is on Kickstarter and has already more than doubled its crowdfunding goal, with 22 days to go, so the idea behind Bento Lab may soon be a reality.
The team behind it has support from the U.K.’s Royal Academy of Engineering, Makerversity, Imperial College SynbiCITE and UCL Advances, TechCrunch reports.
Learn more about the incredible project:
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