Undergraduate Training and Practicals

[The size] is absolutely fantastic. It means that I can put one of these devices on each table, and every one of my students will be able to perform all the different tasks that are required for DNA analysis. That gives them real hands-on experience.

– Stephane Boyer, Lab Instructor

  • Active Learning: Students conduct experiments themselves, gaining practical experience with essential molecular biology techniques.
  • Flexible Integration: Perfect for various courses, from microbiology and molecular biology to pre-health programs.
  • Compact and Complete: Bento Lab combines a thermocycler, gel electrophoresis unit, and centrifuge in one portable system.

Transform Undergraduate Labs with Bento Lab

Bento Lab empowers undergraduates with hands-on molecular biology experience.

Compact and versatile, it’s ideal for inquiry-based learning, from outbreak investigations to plasmid analysis.

Give your students the tools to truly engage with the science behind PCR, gel electrophoresis, and DNA analysis.

Undergraduate students at North Dakota University using Bento Lab
Monica Norby, North Dakota University

Learn more about using Bento Lab for undergraduate training.

Download our 4 ideas for classrooms

Featured case studies

University of Leeds

Dr Elizabeth Duncan and her colleagues took a group of 40 students for a Mediterranean Ecology field trip. The students used Bento Lab to look for parasite infections in bees.

Learn more

Unitec Institute of Technology

Stephane Boyer uses Bento Lab to teach molecular biology to students interested in biodiversity. His biodiversity research often takes him to remote places to collect DNA samples.

Watch Youtube interview

UCL iGEM team

Partnered with In2scienceUK, the UCL iGEM team delivered a hands-on workshop for marginalized students in STEM. Using Bento Lab, they guided students through practical experiments exploring synthetic biology applications.

Recommended for undergraduate training and practicals

Bento Lab Pro

From DNA extraction, to PCR, to analysis and sequencing prep, using one portable workstation.

32 well thermocycler
Heat or incubate, lyse cells, amplify DNA via PCR or isothermal methods, ligate sequencing adaptors.

8k G centrifuge, 6 tube capacity
Sediment samples, spin down tubes, extract DNA using spin columns 

Electrophoresis and transilluminator
Cast, load, and run agarose electrophoresis gels to visualise genomic DNA or amplicon DNA