Discover 4 case studies to bring DNA barcoding into your classroom through student research and PCR-based projects.

A research team has successfully sequenced a near-complete bird flu genome aboard a ship in Antarctic waters, proving that portable lab equipment can generate critical information about viral threats…

Key Points Researchers have successfully completed the first on-site, direct whole-genome sequencing of subaerial biofilms (SABs) on a UNESCO World Heritage Site stone monument. In a pioneering study…

Raw bovine milk hosts a diverse microbiota that profoundly influences dairy product quality, safety, and shelf-life. However, current surveillance methods are time-intensive and often lack the taxonom...

Explore five examples of researchers using Bento Lab for molecular biology workflows — including DNA extraction, PCR, and electrophoresis — in the field.

Many of you ask us: “When I buy a Bento Lab, what else will I need?” In this post, we cover the main points to answer this frequently asked question.

Personalized Medicine has the potential to transform modern healthcare by tailoring medical decisions to an individual’s unique genomic profile. However, its integration into routine clinical practice is hindered by limited genomics education among healthcare professionals and a general lack of public awareness. To address these challenges, we introduce the BioSTEM initiative, an innovative educational tool designed for primary, elementary, and high school students. BioSTEM combines optimized online learning modules with interactive audiovisual content, fostering direct communication between students and educators. It also integrates alternative learning strategies, such as online games and comics, to enhance engagement with topics in Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Personalized Medicine. Since 2016, BioSTEM has reached over 6,000 students across three countries through a combination of theoretical instruction and hands-on experiments using a portable molecular biology laboratory. Our results indicate that participation in BioSTEM significantly improved students’ and educators’ perception of their understanding of concepts in Genetics and Personalized Medicine. Participants reported a stronger grasp of genomic concepts and expressed support for incorporating BioSTEM into the standard biology curriculum. These findings suggest that BioSTEM is a promising and scalable approach to advancing biomedical education and fostering the development of genomic-literate citizens.

Prepare solutions for gel electrophoresis quickly and accurately with this concentrated TBE buffer. Once diluted, the 1L concentrated stock solution provides enough buffer to cast and run 400 gels…

Keep running experiments when power is not guaranteed, and take Bento Lab in unique environments. We have been exploring different portable power solutions.

This study presents the development of a highly sensitive on-site method for detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA on various surfaces, including doorknobs and tables. Identifying SARS-CoV-2 RNA on these surfaces can ...

In resource-limited settings, patients are often first presented to clinical settings when seriously ill and access to proper clinical microbial diagnostics is often very limited or non-existing. On F...

Foodborne diarrheagenic E. coli poses a public health threat, while the variability in transmissible agents hampers outbreak investigation. The lack of lab equipment, such as thermocyclers, in some la...

Read the latest article version by Richard Andreas Salindeho, Fifi Gus Dwiyanti, Rahadian Pratama, Deden Derajat Matra, Muhammad Majiidu, Iskandar Z. Siregar, at F1000Research.

Two summers ago, highschooler Noah Bryan was spending the day at a community lake with his friends. Lake Wilcox is a recreational hotspot for friends and family that live in the city of Richmond Hill…

Is Bento Lab durable enough for fieldwork, classroom, and long-term use?

Choose the best DNA primers for bird sexing by PCR. Covers common sets, species compatibility, and tips to support reliable avian sex identification.

This protocol uses a BentoLab to extract DNA and amplify short fragments of DNA for diagnostic detection of interactions. This was designed for teaching and is meant to be compl...

The growing illegal wildlife trade (IWT) threatens biodiversity and is a conduit for zoonotic disease, yet its risk of detection is low. Once processed, trafficked species are difficult to identify mo...

While investigating the cause of death in a cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) mortality event in March 2024 in Roanoke, Virginia, we collected parasites, investigated gizzard contents, and described...

PCR product contamination: what it is, how it occurs, and how to deal with it

Interpreting electrophoresis gels is a very important skill when learning to do PCR. Here we suggest a step-by-step guide to help you learn how to assess gels and gel images.

Genomic epidemiology holds promise for malaria control and elimination efforts, for example by informing on Plasmodium falciparum genetic diversity and prevalence of mutations conferring anti-malarial drug resistance. Limited sequencing infrastructure in many malaria-endemic areas prevents the rapid generation of genomic data. To address these issues, we developed and validated assays for P. falciparum nanopore sequencing in endemic sites using a mobile laboratory, targeting key antimalarial drug resistance markers and microhaplotypes. Using two multiplexed PCR reactions, we amplified six highly polymorphic microhaplotypes and ten drug resistance markers. We developed a bioinformatics workflow that allows genotyping of polyclonal malaria infections, including minority clones. We validated the panels on mock dried blood spot (DBS) and rapid diagnostic test (RDT) samples and archived DBS, demonstrating even, high read coverage across amplicons (range: 580x to 3,212x median coverage), high haplotype calling accuracy, and the ability to explore within-sample diversity of polyclonal infections. We field-tested the feasibility of rapid genotyping in Zanzibar in close collaboration with the local malaria elimination program using DBS and routinely collected RDTs as sample inputs. Our assay identified haplotypes known to confer resistance to known antimalarials in the dhfr, dhps and mdr1 genes, but no evidence of artemisinin partial resistance. Most infections (60%) were polyclonal, with high microhaplotype diversity (median HE = 0.94). In conclusion, our assays generated actionable data within a few days, and we identified current challenges for implementing nanopore sequencing in endemic countries to accelerate malaria control and elimination.

When Dr. Monica Norby and her colleagues took over teaching the microbiology practicals, they had a challenge to tackle. Students were completing their course without performing the core techniques of...

Making a Batch PCR Mix: A Beginner’s Guide