Building a DIY molecular biology lab on a budget

our lab started as a kitchen table operation. Here's what you actually need to do DNA barcoding, and what you can skip.

The essentials (~$500-800)

Micropipettors: You need at least a P20 (0.5-20 µL) and a P200 (20-200 µL). These are the workhorses of molecular biology. Buy second-hand on eBay or look at Chinese-made alternatives — they're accurate enough for PCR setup. Budget: $100-200 for a set.

Thermal cycler (PCR machine): The most expensive essential. Second-hand units appear on eBay regularly — older Bio-Rad or Applied Biosystems models work perfectly. Budget: $200-500 second-hand. Or build one with an Arduino and Peltier elements if you're that way inclined.

Gel electrophoresis: You can build a gel chamber from acrylic sheet and platinum wire for under $30. The power supply is the tricky part — you need 100-150V DC. A boost converter module from AliExpress ($5) can do it, but respect the voltage. We use a Jaycar electronics project box with banana plugs.

The consumables

PCR master mix (GoTaq Green or equivalent), primers (custom oligos from IDT or a local supplier — about $25 per primer for 100 µL at 10 µM), agarose, DNA ladder, loading dye, and nuclease-free water. Per-sample cost for extraction + PCR + gel is about $2-5 in reagents.

What you DON'T need

A NanoDrop spectrophotometer (nice but not essential — gel quantification works), a dedicated sequencer (outsource to AGRF for $12/sample), a -80°C freezer (a regular freezer is fine for most applications), or a biosafety cabinet (work clean, but these organisms aren't dangerous).

The barrier to entry in molecular biology has never been lower. If you can follow a recipe, you can do PCR.