$5,000 Biotech Lab Setup

Research-grade genetic engineering can be conducted with under $5,000 worth of laboratory equipment.

Here, I outline the essential equipment required for routine molecular cloning and cell cuture techniques.

This lab setup can be achieved for as little as $4,830, excluding reagents, consumables, and overhead costs.

1. Incubator	10. Refrigerator (4°C)/Freezer (-4°C)
2. Microwave	11. Autoclave
3. Heat block	12. Electrophoresis gel tray
4. Micropipettes	13. Electrophoresis power supply
5. Hot plate/stirrer	14. UV transilluminator
6. pH meter	15. Thermal cycler
7. Analytical balance	16. Centrifuge
8. Vortex mixer	17. Microcentrifuge
9. Laminar flow hood	18. Freezer (-20°C)

1. Incubator

For culturing bacteria or cells at controlled temperatures (e.g. 37°C for E. coli). Shaking incubator for liquid cultures.

Used: $300 (eBay), New ($550 Corning)

2. Microwave

For melting agarose or preparing media.

New: $100 (Walmart)

3. Heat block

For incubating samples at specific temperatures.

Used: $80 (eBay), New ($200 Amazon)

4. Micropipettes

Transfer of small volumes. Ensure adjustable in 0.1-1000 µL ranges. Manufacturer calibration and servicing recommended if purchased used.

Used: $500 (eBay), New ($2,000 Gilson)

5. Hot plate/stirrer

For heating and mixing solutions. Ensure large enough to accomodate 2L flask.

Used: $200 (eBay), New ($200 Amazon)

6. pH meter

For preparing buffers and media. Recommend buying new.

New: $300 (Amazon)

7. Analytical balance

For precise weighing of reagents. 0.1mg readability and 220g max capacity is sufficient. Recommend buying new.

New: $600 (Amazon)

8. Vortex mixer

For mixing small volumes of samples.

Used: $150 (eBay), New: ($150 Amazon)

9. Laminar flow hood

For sterile work with cell cultures. Portable benchtop model. Working aspectically next to a butane bunsen burner is a viable alternative.

New: ($200 Amazon)

10. Refrigerator (4°C)/Freezer (-4°C)

For storing reagents and samples. Ensure refrigerator is large enough to store large flasks and containers.

New: ($300 Amazon)

11. Autoclave

For sterilizing equipment, media, and solutions. A large pressure cooker is an afforable option. Ensure large enough to accomodate 2L flasks

New: ($200 Walmart)

12. Electrophoresis gel tray

For separating DNA. Tray holds the agarose gel matrix and buffer.

Used: $300 (eBay), New: ($1,000 Thermo Scientific)

13. Electrophoresis power supply

Provides adjustable voltage/current to drive the electrophoretic separation.

Used: $150 (eBay), New: ($1,000 Thermo Fisher)

14. UV transilluminator

For visualizing and imaging DNA separated by gel electrophoresis.

Used: $300 (eBay), New: ($700 Benchmark Scientific)

15. Thermal cycler

For amplifying specific DNA sequences. Mineral oil can be used as an alternative to a heated lid in a thermal cycler.

Used: $200 (eBay), New: ($3,000 BioRad)

16. Centrifuge

For spinning larger-volume samples (5-50 mL tubes) at 3,000-10,000 RPM. An adaptor or rotor replacement can be used to handle microcentrifuge tubes.

Used: $200 (eBay), New: ($1,000 StonyLab)

17. Microcentrifuge

For spinning 0.2-2 mL samples to separate DNA or proteins. Up to 13,000-16,000 RPM.

Used: $250 (eBay), New: ($1,200 IKA)

18. Freezer (-20°C)

For storage of reagents, enzymes and samples at -20°C.

New: ($500 Amazon)