Molecular Biology any time, anywhere

No more research bottlenecks

Set up a PCR lab without the overhead

Our compact equipment lets you start molecular biology workflows quickly. Launch a new lab, add temporary capacity, or support a growing research group. Teams are operational in days rather than months, without committing to large capital investment or permanent space.

A researcher in a white lab coat works at a clean, white laboratory bench. The desk holds portable DNA equipment, including Bento Lab connected to an electrophoresis tank. Boxes of pipette tips, a water bottle, and instructional papers are scattered across the workspace against a white wall. — Researchers in the Amor lab running a full DNA sequencing workflow after setting up a minimal viable lab in a new space.

Test ideas on-site, in real time

Collect and analyse samples right where you are. Find out immediately if you need more samples, and bypasses the delays and regulatory hurdles of transporting material. You can run proof-of-concept experiments and generate actionable data on the spot.

A portable field laboratory set up outdoors on a wooden table. It features a clear, pyramid-shaped plastic glove box for sterile work, alongside a handheld DNA equipment, a small blue centrifuge, and various sample tubes. — Noah Bryan ran NGS sequencing in the field with his set-up for water monitoring, based at the University of Guelph.

Share real science with your community

Bring the same tools used in research labs to training, teaching, and field programmes. Teams can run authentic experiments for educational or grant-mandated outreach without sacrificing scientific rigor. Ensure students and collaborators gain hands-on experience with real workflows, exactly as they would in a conventional lab.

A close-up, over-the-shoulder view of a young person using a smartphone to analyze a photo of an electrophoresis gel. On the white table next to them sits the physical clear plastic gel tank showing blue and purple dye bands. — BeeCode Berlin ran a citizen science project contributing to the knowledge of honeybee subspecies

Essentials for your DNA research workflows

Reagents

Everything you need for your workflow.
Room-temperature stable in convenient sizes that make sense for individual research.

Bento Lab, an all-in-one lab for molecular biology researchers

Equipment

The all-in-one PCR equipment suite bringing peer-reviewed performance to your bench or field site. Eliminate the bottleneck of shared equipment in your lab.

Expert Support

Accelerate your research with our open-access protocols and technical 1:1 advice, to help you move from idea to results faster.

Why researchers choose Bento Bio

Ship To Your Doorstep

Deliver to your lab, field station, or remote project site, worldwide.

Transparent Pricing

Affordable pricing, no hidden fees. Get the most research from your budget.

Peer-reviewed Performance

Our products are cited in 34+ peer-reviewed publications and trusted by the scientific community.

Ready for Procurement

We handle the vendor setup and POs with your institution, so you can focus on research instead of paperwork.

What does your research need?

Find your workflow and discover what’s possible

In-situ DNA Barcoding

DNA barcoding marine animals from a dive boat using MinION and Bento Lab

Kingdom Identification

Validating a rapid Kingdom identification workflow using a triplex PCR assay with Bento Lab

Mosquito Identification

A multiplex PCR assay to identify the Anopheles gambiae complex and insecticide resistance

Chimp Pathogen Detection

Investigating the distribution of a bacterium in chimpanzees and the environment in Africa

DNA Barcoding Sharks

Producing a DNA barcode reference library of Sri Lankan sharks and rays with Bento Lab and MinION

Tracking Bird Flu

Tracking an emerging bird flu strain in Antarctica using portable sequencing

Metabarcoding Biofilms

Developing an on-site Whole-Genome Sequencing workflow for Stone Monument Biofilms

Rapid Pathogen Detection

Rapid detection of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in retail meat, lake water, and sludge

Tracking Arabian Leopards

Discovering genetic evidence of the presumed locally extinct Arabian leopard in Saudi Arabia

Field AMR Detection

Developing molecular tools for antibiotic resistance gene detection across different lab settings

Chloroplast Sequencing

Resequencing the chloroplast genome for Indonesian cinnamon, Cinnamomum burmannii

Malaria Haplotyping

A mobile nanopore sequencing workflow for end-to-end genomic surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum

Virus Surveillance

Developing a workflow for fast environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) RNA on surfaces

Water Quality Testing

Developing a portable laboratory for same-day testing of contaminated water

Food Safety Testing

Developing a same-day, on-site sequencing workflow to detect Campylobacter in broiler chickens

Jellyfish Identification

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Wild Ocean: a dive into the research of Professor Cheryl Ames

COVID-19 Detection

Developing an open-source, low-cost, molecular toolkit to detect COVID-19 in low resource-countries

Crop Biosurvellance

Mobile agricultural biosurveillance and crop protection with the Genome360 Initiative, Canada

AMR Tracking in the Field

Tracking antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the field with Bento Lab and MinION

A DNA Extraction Platform

Developing a fast DNA extraction platform for biosurveillance, suitable for low resource scenarios

DNA Barcoding Nematodes

Validating a portable sequencing workflow for DNA barcoding of pathogenic and free-living nematodes

Re-ID of Human Samples

Rapid re-identification of human clinical samples using portable DNA sequencing

Statue Biofilm Monitoring

An on-site metagenomic analysis of the biological recolonisation of UNESCO statues in Portugal

Vertebrate Metabarcoding

A portable universal vertebrate identification workflow using multi-barcode nanopore sequencing

Cave Metagenomics

An on-site metagenomic microbiome study of silica structures in remote cave systems

Raw Milk Metabarcoding

Introducing NOMAD, an on-site microbiome analysis pipeline for detecting pathogens in raw cow milk

Algal Metagenomics

A metabarcoding study of algal colony biofilms using an in-situ DNA extraction workflow

Plant eDNA Detection

Developing chloroplast markers for detecting invasive Chinese Tallow in environmental samples

Quantitative Metagenomics

Validating a portable and quantitative metagenomic workflow for water quality testing

PCR for Astrobiology

An investigation into the possibilities of using PCR to detect and analyse extraterrestrial life

Toxic Plankton Detection

Developing a portable on-boat metabarcoding workflow to detect toxic plankton blooms

Portable Dignostics

A case study of Bento Lab-ONT sequencing being used to help an emergency clinical diagnosis

You’re in great company

45 countries and counting!

Take inspiration for your next project from the many places our community use Bento Lab.

65+ publications

Explore published research backed by data from Bento Lab.

Case studies

Find out from users how they are using Bento Lab

FAQ

What types of research do Bento Bio products support?

Researchers successfully use our equipment and reagents for a wide range of samples, including plant tissue and insect/animal tissue, in regular research facilities and remote or resource-limited environments.

Can Bento Bio hardware and reagents be used to prepare libraries for NGS sequencing?

Bento Lab can serve as a complete “front-end” for portable sequencing. You can perform DNA extraction, PCR amplification, to prepare high-quality libraries for platforms like the Oxford Nanopore MinION while still on-site.

Explore our resources on Next Generation Sequencing.

Do I have to use Bento Bio consumables with Bento Lab?

No. Bento Lab is a fully open system, compatible with standard lab reagents and consumables. Our kits and accessories are designed to complement your workflow, but they are optional.

Explore more questions in our extended FAQ.

Researcher Spotlight

Real stories from real researchers

Genomic Epidemiology

Dive into the critical advances made in Peru towards cost-effective COVID testing and expanding global access to decentralized pandemic detection with open source approaches.

Learn more

Safe Drinking Water

Discover the highschooler working with a professor at the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety to tackle water quality testing using a rapid onsite workflow.

Learn more

Monitoring with MinION

Make waves in biodiversity with on-site sequencing, like this team using MinION and our portable PCR workstation aboard a dive boat in Singapore sampling seawater.

Learn more

Field Sequencing

Navigate genomics in jungles. Find out how this researcher is transforming ape health monitoring with onsite DNA barcoding of nematodes, using Bento Lab and MinION.

Learn more