We want to produce an open design for a PCR machine. Our goal is to start this project up quickly and finish it. After that, we would like to move onto other things, such as SNPs or PCR kits or synthetic biology.
A DIY Xerox machine for DNA: A fast, computer controlled PCR machine that uses normal PCR tubes and may be built mostly with off the shelf components + free schematics. It does thermal cycling as well as boil, cool, and freeze (4C) samples.
1. Track the development process through blog posts and photos, to follow the design process from idea to reality, and how that reality changes week by week
2. Publish a walkthrough of assembling everything, and a simple DNA test to check that it works
3. A parts list + links to order the parts we use. Schematics for parts that need to be custom made.
4. A basic understanding of PCR patents and how they affect this project (why didn’t this project happen in 2000? can someone sell these as kits without infringing? link)
That said, we are still in the “will this work?” stage rather than the “refine the design” stage of the project. Can a thermal cycler be built from mostly off the shelf components?
This is extremely interesting! Has anyone given any thought to an open project for automated electronic sequencing of large fragments i.e. 500-1000 bases or more?
Hi Vince,
As far as I know, the best option for sequencing large fragments is to send them off for sequencing, as there are several low cost services that can do this for you.
Tito
DNA synthesis will be the next gold rush of molecular biology. I think designing a synthesizer would be an awesome objective!
Any goal to sell a pre-assembled unit?