Glow-in-the-Dark Bacteria Engineering Kit

Glow-in-the-Dark Bacteria Engineering Kit

$39.99 USD

Beginner

Cold Storage Required

|28 reviews

Glow-in-the-Dark Bacteria Engineering Kit

Make bacteria glow green using a gene borrowed from jellyfish - then watch the results grow overnight on a petri dish.

$39.99 USD
Additional Information

Width: 17.78 (cm)
Height: 17.78 (cm)
Depth: 17.78 (cm)

Glow-in-the-Dark Bacteria Engineering Kit
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Product Details

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is one of the most widely used tools in molecular biology. In this kit, you’ll transform harmless E. coli with a GFP plasmid and observe fluorescent colonies under blue light within 24 hours.

The result is easy to see, which makes bacterial transformation unusually tangible. This is the experiment that hooks people on biology for life.

Who Is It For

A straightforward introduction to bacterial transformation with a result you can see directly under blue light.

You do not need any lab experience. You can do everything in your kitchen.

Total beginners Total beginners
Teens Teens
Works in a kitchen Works in a kitchen
Classrooms Classrooms
Science fair projects Science fair projects
No lab experience needed No lab experience needed
Great for curious adults Great for curious adults

What's Included

Lab Supplies

Petri plates Petri plates
Transfer pipettes Transfer pipettes
Microcentrifuge tubes Microcentrifuge tubes
50 mL measuring tube 50 mL measuring tube
Orange UV filter sheet  + Blue LED light Orange UV filter sheet + Blue LED light
Agar preparation bottle Agar preparation bottle
Sterile inoculation loops Sterile inoculation loops
Nitrile gloves Nitrile gloves

Biological Materials

Non-pathogenic E. coli DH5a, freeze dried
Non-pathogenic E. coli DH5a, freeze dried
GFP plasmid containing jellyfish fluorescent gene (5 - 50uL of 20ng/uL)
GFP plasmid containing jellyfish fluorescent gene (5 - 50uL of 20ng/uL)

Media & Reagents

LB agar media
LB agar media
LB selective agar (Kan 100 µg/ml)
LB selective agar (Kan 100 µg/ml)
Transformation buffer (25mM CaCl2, 10% PEG 8000)
Transformation buffer (25mM CaCl2, 10% PEG 8000)
LB recovery media
LB recovery media

Shipping & Storage 

All biological materials are freeze-dried and stable at room temperature for up to one month.

Includes step-by-step transformation protocol and a guide to fluorescent proteins.

What You Will Do

Rehydrate freeze-dried bacteria and GFP plasmid DNA
Run a heat-shock bacterial transformation - the same technique used in real labs
Grow your engineered bacteria overnight on selective agar plates
Illuminate the results with the included blue light and UV filter

What You Will Learn

These are the same fundamental skills that show up throughout molecular biology and biotechnology labs.

Fluorescent Proteins

How fluorescent proteins work and why they matter in research.

Bacterial Transformation

The mechanics of bacterial transformation - how DNA gets into a cell.

Gene Expression

Why some bacteria glow and others don't.

Antibiotic Selection

How scientists use antibiotic selection to identify successful edits.

Step-by-Step Protocols

Every kit includes clear, easy-to-follow protocols that guide you through each experiment from start to finish.

Follow the steps at your own pace, and use the notes along the way to check your progress and troubleshoot.

J
Jay
Great Kit

The kit worked very well for my students despite their having to place the cells in the refrigerator post-recovery until class the next day. We got plenty of successful colonies even with the group that kept their post-recovery cells in the refrigerator for two days.

L
Liao F.
Great product

Used it to much sucess for my 6th-grade science fair! Gave my whole class lots of wows.

L
Loide L.M.d.F.
Muito bom

Adorei, atendeu todas minhas espectativas.

J
Jay
Wonderful Product

This kit worked wonderfully for my students! The materials provided were perfectly suitable for completing the experiment without issue, and we had an incredible transformation efficiency without hundreds of fluorescent colonies detected. I will certainly be buying this from The ODIN again next year. So appreciative!

A
Amy
GFP Kit

The kit's awesome! Special shoutout to the team for customizing the kit and providing additional support via email! Can't wait to try out the crispr kit.

M
Michael B.
fantastic and eye-opening experiments for beginner

straightforward instructions (though it is recommended to read everything before getting started) . If doing these experiments during the cold season, have a space heater handy to speed up incubation times. One minor annoyance: not all packages are complete so good to check everything is there before getting started.

L
Logan D.
Really fun and simple

This was a really fun and simple project I had a lot of fun doing it, it was really interesting to get to know how everything in it worked

L
Logan D.
Really fun and simple activity

I had a lot of fun with this project and it was really interesting learning how everything worked. The user manual was simple and easy to read and very user friendly.

I
Ian M.
Great for Novice Biohackers

Two teachers at our high school run the CHS Science Club and after watching Unnatural Selection my colleague and I decided to look into The ODIN to see what was available for our fledgling scientists/biohackers to work with. We decided to try the Genetic Design Starter Kit and the results were great. Since we usually only have 30-60 minutes once or twice a week with our group we were able to make things work. The students thoroughly enjoyed the process and learning about biohacking. After completing the procedure we did have successful transformation and saw some glowing colonies. It was great!

J
Joseph P.
Good fun

Clear instructions and well-packaged kit. Took a couple of tries, but eventually was successful! I think giving extra incubation time was what made my second try have better results (since I was incubating at room temperature).

J
Jeff S.
Fantastic product!

This is the second product I’ve ordered from the Odin. The instruction manual is clear, there are online guides, and wow, I’ve learned a lot about genetics and biology!

S
SANDRA S.
Genetic Design Starter Kit - Glowing Jellyfish Bacteria

First time - worked perfectly, even with a few human errors and extended time in between stages. Used with 7th graders.

L
Loyal A.
Fantastic!

The kit was well packaged and the directions were thorough. My son and his lab partner were able to complete this for their science fair project. They were featured in our local news! I will be purchasing more for my students.

A
Anonymous
Great Science Experiment

I ordered the Genetic Design Starter Kit for my grandson’s science fair project. It was easy enough to follow for me to help him. He is in 7th grade and very interested in cutting edge science.

A
Anonymous
bonne expérience

Vraiment super

E
Edward V.
Awesome

Yes! I have created life!
The instructions were a little ambiguous if it is your first time and culturing at room temp takes more like 4 days. But, man, creating life is awesome. Now I know what it is to be a mother.

J
James K.
Amazing!!!

Works as advertised, read through the experiment a few times before you get started. Already ordered my Bioengineering 101, can't wait!!!

A
Anonymous
Worth it

Had lots of fun doing this and got a lot of hands on experience. I would suggest that the kit come with extra inoculation loops because I almost ran out. I would love to see more kits like this or possibly some empty backbones to design your own plasmid for the more advanced users. Also tip to those who have contamination issues, performing parts of the experiment, like streaking, in a sandwich bag or oven bag is a good way to keep things sterile, at least from my experience.

W
Whitney M.
New and Improved

I love the new and improved jellyfish genetics kit! I ordered one last year to use in my 7th grade science classroom. The issues I had with the previous kit, such as scattered materials and convoluted instructions, seem to be fixed with the new iteration of the kit. I love that it comes with links to instructional videos and materials. My kids have a blast doing their genetic design projects each year!

T
Tina S.
Success on 2nd attempt

Messed up what bacteria to grow at the start so re-did and had success. The folks at Odin rock, love the vids and weekly updates, I'll be back for more.

A
Anonymous
Just do it.

This kit does require a little concentration and I found that things took a little longer than described, so...patience.
Doing this kit force me to learn A LOT about how genes work and this is what I wanted. It's pretty simple but requires a number of steps. I'd recommend giving things a couple days to happen. It took a few days to get my bacteria to grow etc. But, hey, what's the hurry.
Be careful who you about this. Some people have have very strong opinions about anything like this and they think you're some sort of evil scientist just for trying to learn something.

A
Anonymous
Fun, but a little more detail would help

My 10 yr old son and I did this as a fun summer activity. The steps were clearly spelled out. However, I wish the instructions were a bit more detailed. He would have learned more if explanations about each "ingredient" were given, including details about the different types of agar and why they matter.

A
Anonymous
Some delay but it worked

The manual says that it could take 24 to 48 hrs at room temp until white spots are noticeable in the plate. For me, it took 72 hrs until I noticed any growth. After that, when using the blue light and the filter above the spots in the plate, they clearly illuminated a green color. It was a fun experiment. I would like to try this DNA technique on something else to see if I can make it have the same effect.

J
Jose J.V.
2nd time i buy it!

and i would buy it a third, good for beginners even though a few more detailed instructions and info would help. with the ongoing pandemic it even shipped faster than anything else on other websites (amazon lol) .

T
Tina S.W.
Great experience

Fun and direct. Will be purchasing the full classes after receiving this kit. Definitely worth every. penny.

J
Javier
Could be explained better.

The kit itself and instructions are great, but I don't feel as if the handbook had enough information to learn from and seemed geared more for beginners. I hoped for a more in depth explanation of what is going on in each process, not a simple overview.

n
nolan
Very easy and very straightforward

Even though it was very easy and straightforward instructions were a little confusing but I got the hang of it very easy. I wish they had a video series showing me how to do it step-by-step.

D
Dory A.M.
Straightforward and excellent for beginners

Shipping was awesome and earlier than expected. Instructions were clear and succinct. I was really satisfied with the shelf life of the bacteria and transformation mix--was worried that my delay in completing my experiments would reduce the likelihood of a successful one. Nonetheless, it worked except for the first amp tray...it would be really nice if you could include more educational components that highlights the mechanics and background of each kit item. That way, we can have a wider scope of background knowledge, making the experience that much more enjoyable.

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