Tools for iGEM and DIYbio

Do you dream of engineering biofuels and exploring your genome? So do we.

Our generation will go where no one else has gone before, and keep going.

And we need new tools for our work, not square pegs cut to fit round holes. At Pearl Biotech, we make bioengineering accessible by designing cool, smart equipment for the modern genetic explorer.

We are inspired by open access projects such as OpenWetWare and open hardware projects like the Arduino. In fact, the original discussions for the Open Gel Box project began on OpenWetWare. Of course, we wouldn’t be here without standing on the shoulders of giants. The design of the Open Gel Box is a culmination of mind storming sessions, trial-and-errors, discussions with Kay Aull, Jonathan Cline, Mac Cowell, John Cumbers, Jim Hardy, Tito Jankowski, Michael Katsevman, Tom Knight, Meredith Patterson, Norman Wang, and many others who actively participated on the DIYBio Google Groups forum and gave their thoughts through the Open Gel Box 2.0 RFC.

In-box gel casting was inspired by the widely used Owl Scientific Gel box, designed by Greg Fox of Fox Manufacturing Group. The LED PCB was a simple electronics class project with inputs from Dr. Dan Jenkins and Dr. Loren Gautz. The stainless steel electrodes were designed and tested by Norman Wang. The use of golden ratio in the Open Gel box dimensions came from Tito Jankowski. Numerous ideas were generated from the joys and frustrations building and using other gel electrophoresis box designs such as the Utah Gel Electrophoresis Chamber, Bio-Rad Mini-Sub Cell GT, Kodak Scientific Imaging Systems BioMax QS, and the Owl Scientific Separation Systems series of Minigel devices.

Our next project, the Open Thermal Cycler, is being prototyped with Arduino at its core. So, if you’re in industry, academia, or a community lab, check us out!

Pearl Biotech is located in San Francisco, California.