Category Archives: GarageBio

Biohacking


I have an opinion piece on Biohacking in the Innovation Edition of Comstock’s Magazine. As a scientist, I like things to be referenced and annotated, so here is my effort to support the claims and information included in the piece.

  • Good intro to garage  biohacking with Josiah Zayner : Link
  • Article on Liz Parrish and her telomere self-experiment: Link
  • Article on Brian Hanley and his personal gene therapy work: Link
  • Article in Outside Magazine on Josiah Zayner with the FBI interview and comment: Link
  • Self-administration of a HIV therapy on a home couch, while live-streaming on Facebook: Link
  • Companies are offering RFID implant chips to their employees: Link
  • The Open Discovery Institute, aka The Odin, DIY Bacterial Gene Engineering CRISPR Kit: Link
  • Makerspaces that offer science classes and lab equipment for community based projects:
    Oakland, Counter Culture Labs
    Seattle, Sound Bio
    New York, Genspace
    Los Angeles, The Lab
    A more complete list can be found over at DIYbio.org
  • Article on the rising cost of prescription drugs: Link
  • An article on biohackers responding to the rising price of the EpiPen: Link
  • The Four Thieves Vinegar Collective that is behind the EpiPencil, Daraprim synthesis, and is currently working on an at-home mini chemical reactor. Link
  • A project to combat the high price of insulin: Link
  • The Sacramento startup and science scene:
    Hackerlab
    UC Davis Venture Catalyst
    HM Clause / UC Davis Life Science Innovation Center
    Inventopia

As for a biohacking scene in Sacramento, there are currently two good resources for fledgling biotechs to get shared lab space with the HM Clause Innovation center and Inventopia, both linked above. But for hacking together ideas, teaching classes, or playing with DNA, Eric Ullrich over at Hackerlab has expressed interest in facilitating biohacking classes and even setup of some wet lab space. There is definitely energy around the idea in Sacramento, but it has yet to reach critical mass. The opinion piece in Comstock’s was intended to share the topic of biohacking with the broader business community in our region, but also to send up a flare to any other scientists that are interested in getting something going.

So if you are interested in setting up local biohacking meetings or joining up for some projects, shoot me an email over at biohacksac.org. Let’s make something happen!

-BZ

The Budget Biotech

The bench beaver is always watching you

I have been toying with the idea of starting my own biotech startup in my garage, and want to determine the lowest amount of upfront investment it would take to set up a functional molecular biology lab.

OK, a little background to help the discussion. Straight out of grad school I took a job with a startup biotech developing strains for fermentation of high value small molecules. When I arrived the lab had a few tables and some basic equipment, but being that an electrical engineer did the initial purchasing it wasn’t quite ready for much biochemistry. So my first job was to outfit the lab with the necessary equipment and consumables to get things moving. I quickly realized how expensive laboratory equipment and research reagents were without the generous academic discounts I had grown accustomed to. We pieced together a mixture of new and used equipment, took advantage of lab startup promotional deals, and ultimately assembled a fully functional molecular biology lab on a pretty modest budget.

Taking what I learned from setting up my first biotech lab, I know I can do better. How much better? I think it should be possible to assemble a functional molecular biology lab for under $1,000. But wait you say- that is just enough to buy a decent set of pipetters- how could you set up an entire lab for that?

Precisely. That is the heart of the challenge. To create a budget-minded biotech that is functional, but doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. As I wrote up in a previous article, “biotech shouldn’t be so dang expensive!”

I think it all depends on how you define the core functionality. To me, the minimum functionality needed is to clone genes and express proteins. I am focusing on the steps from source DNA to expressed recombinant protein. So basically from PCR through cloning in E.coli, to expression of proteins.

Things I am not including in the $1,000: Analytical (in my case HPLC or LCMS), basic infrastructure like tables, stools, computer, etc., and little things like surge protectors or extension cords. And I may take the liberty of culturing my own competent cells to cut down on that cost. Vector backbone will be an open-source design to get around IP conflicts and keep things cheap. We’ll see how far we can stretch $1,000 and go from there.

I am looking mainly at functional but well-loved equipment on ebay and craigslist, and even some homemade or hacked projects capable of carrying out the job at hand. EBay has some amazing deals. So does Amazon (I usually avoid Thermo subsidiaries as much as I avoid Wally World!). And if you are willing to do some soldering, coding, and 3D printing, you can make just about anything in the lab. I acknowledge that reliability will undoubtedly be less than brand new equipment still on warranty, but of the three-legged stool of quality, cost, and time- this exercise is focused primarily on cost.

Here is my initial list of equipment, projected cost, and notes on procurement. Let me know what you think, where you think I can cut the cost down, or if there are any glaring errors in my choices or logic. I plan to revise and post updates to my budget biotech quest, so hopefully this is only the beginning!

-BZ

EQUIPMENT
Item Cost Notes
pcr – thermal cycler $200.00 used… Ebay. Or ghetto fab water bath and servo setup?
gel rig $53.00 kit from iorodeo.com
light box $80.00 mini kit from iorodeo.com or build myself
pipetters $100.00 2 pipettes at 50 each. P20 and P200 to start
water baths $12.99 crock pots with arduino thermostat (DS18B20 and SSR)
-20C freezer / fridge $50.00 total budget – cheap chest – or used on CL
incubator $50.00 Cooler/chest freezer with hairdryer/heatgun heater and extra fan? Or foam insulation box.
autoclave $83.99 pressure cooker- presto on amazon. Ikea?
centrifuge $80.00 used Brinkman on Ebay
flame for plate work $60.00 Ebay flame/regulator kit
Micro scale $25.00 amazon
microwave? $20.00 craigslist
gel power supply $15.00 homebuilt (budget molecular biology power supply)
rotary shaker $140.00 used old NewBrunswick on ebay
pH meter $20.00 Amazon or Ebay
TOTAL EQUIPMENT: $989.98
CONSUMABLES
Item Cost Notes
tips $10.00 Ebay- bulk tips – need upfront tip box
weigh boats $10.00 or papers
DNA stain $68.00 SYBR Safe – cheaper alternatives with blue LED illuminator?
gel buffer TAE homemade
DNA polymerase $39.00 mastermind from geneandcell.com
dNTPs included in mastermind mix
DNA buffer TAE homemade
gel extraction kit NA45 paper? Simple protocol? Kit…
1kb ladder $89.00 geneandcell.com
load dye bromophenol blue
comp cells homemade – but lack of -80 will affect competency
Total Consumables: $216.00
Total Combined: $1,205.98 over budget already! And chemicals not even included yet!