We absolutely love our BentoLab! We use ours for fieldwork, science education, and even solar-powered “PCR picnics”!
— Amy Bei (@TheBeiLab) May 17, 2024
4-in-1 PCR workstation
a portable lab with all the essentials
reliable
Bento Lab achieves comparable PCR results to traditional laboratory equipment.
small and light
With a laptop-sized footprint, Bento Lab is light enough to enough to carry across the lab or across the world.
ready, set, go
Time to set up from opening the box:36 seconds.
45 countries and counting!
Take inspiration for your next project from the many places our community use Bento Lab.
34+ publications
Explore published research backed by data from Bento Lab.
19 case studies
Find out from users how they are using Bento Lab
What people say about Bento Lab
Back to the field with @theBentoLab! Optimizing field protocols for species identification in South Africa using @nanopore as part of a residential field trip @eworm8, with @IsaRitaRusso1 @USW_Biology @CFE_UC pic.twitter.com/izcAO1Vp44
— Luis Cunha (@luiscunhamx) July 19, 2022
One of the most impressive pieces of equipment we have are @theBentoLab boxes. These devices function as a portable molecular biology lab, and combine five pieces of equipment into one! 🧪 pic.twitter.com/POOkn5DCpQ
— Monash Tech School (@MonashTS) June 12, 2019
“Setting up a suitcase eDNA Laboratory/Lab in backpack for barcoding : MinION sequencing”.
— Ouattara Koffi Nouho (@OuattaraKoffiN1) September 19, 2023
Wonderful week sharing my experience with WAMBA NET (West African Marine Fish DNA Barcoding Network) participants from Cameroon; CI ; Ghana ; Mauritania ; Nigeria ; Sénégal and France. pic.twitter.com/0AOEobBxhx
See how Bento Lab works.
How is Bento Lab used?
eDNA monitoring
Dr Cheryl Ames is exploring ocean biodiversity using remote sensing and deep-sea submersibles.
Case study
Genomic Epidemiology
Prof Pohl Milón led the development of an open-source COVID-19 toolkit for resource-limited settings.
Case study
Educational Field Trip
Dr Elizabeth Duncan and her colleagues took a group of 40 students on an ecology field trip.
Case study
Species conservation
The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew ran workshops with field mycologists to catalog fungal biodiversity.
Case studyWhich Bento Lab is right for me?
From ambitious research, to new science beginnings
Bento Lab Entry
- 32-well thermocycler
- fixed speed centrifuge at 2,700 g
- fixed voltage electrophoresis (50 V)
£1,299.00 ex VAT
Bento Lab Pro
- 32-well thermocycler
with touch-down support - variable speed centrifuge up to 8,000 g
- variable voltage electrophoresis (30 – 120 V)
£1,599.00 ex VAT
Portability matters
Turn any space into a lab
Take your work to another room. Or another country. Escape to a different space to work alone in quiet. Join your colleagues in a new city and work together. Carry your equipment down the hall. Pack your lab in your hand luggage. Your choice.
Footprint matters
A more compact set-up
You could have 5 pieces of equipment (thermocylcer, mini centrifuge, gel electrophoresis tank, gel power supply and transilluminator) or you could have 1 workstation.
A workstation that combines all of that equipment. Same functions, enough capacity. Win back space. The summer students don’t have to share a spot. Win back time. Stop going to the another room to use the transilluminator. Win back plugs! Charge your laptop without unplugging the centrifuge.
Marine biodiversity analysis in situ in Singapore
Jia Jin Marc Chang and his colleagues in Singapore demonstrated a portable sequencing workflow for barcoding marine specimens off the coast, using BentoLab and MinION. They evaluated the R10.3 nanopore flow cell, finding it produced ~99.9% accurate DNA barcodes with improved homopolymer resolution, suggesting its suitability for DNA barcoding applications. This work expands portable DNA barcoding capacity, demonstrating the utility of a portable set-up for efficient in situ species identification and contributing to biodiversity databases.
“To date, our field collection of 31 specimens represents one of the largest sets of samples processed in situ.”
Chang, Jia Jin Marc, et al. “Takeaways from Mobile DNA Barcoding with BentoLab and MinION.” Genes 11.10 (2020): 1121.
Explore the key features of Bento Lab
Quick Spins to 13.5k RPM
From quick spin to cell pelleting. Adjustable speed microcentrifuge up to 13,500 rpm (8,000 xg) with a safety auto-lock closure system. Powerful, compact and cold-room compatible.
Easy PCR protocol setup
Simple programming using an integrated screen and intuitive interface. Handy protocol management with the capacity to store up to 100 PCR programs.
Visualise results in real time
Photograph your results easily with a phone, or tablet. The integrated blue light transilluminator allows you to watch the process as the gels runs.
Gold Standard Results
A gold standard peltier effect thermocycler with a 32 well block and heated lid. Active cooling from 10°C to 105°C and a ramp rate up to 2.5 °C/s.
Run DNA gels in 20 min
An economic solution to rapid DNA separation with an integrated mini Gel Electrophoresis system. Cast and run gels in the same tank with no need for extra parts.
A lab that travels with you
Bring your assays to new locations where PCR has never been done before. Just 3.5kg, Bento Lab fits into hand luggage. Ready-to-go for your next field trip.
A lab you can depend on, deployable in minutes
“[Bento Lab is] deployable to remote locations with minimal household-grade infrastructures […] The standard protocols of a laboratory may be used without amendments and adaptations […]”
“Bento Lab and MinION are useful for genomic analysis and surveillance of AMR bacteria in hospitals and research centers with limited facilities.”
You’ve got the whole lab
in your hands.
You’ve got the whole lab in your hands.
You’ve got the whole lab in your hands.
