BioBits is an educational technology product offered by MiniPCR made to teach students about synthetic biology using freeze-dried cell-free technology that allows students to run biological experiments without any living cells.
The company is offering kits for running molecular biology experiments called 'BioBits labs', and the kits allows students to create fluorescent proteins (RNA glows green and protein glows red), smells, gels, and more while learning about DNA and the flow of genetic information. The kits require water to be added to start each experiment, and show results in a few hours or overnight. Each kit has cell extracts (no living or dead cells) with cellular machinery such as ribosomes, tRNAs, and RNA polymerase. Each kit also has supplements such as nucleotides, amino acids, and energy sources to support the execution of experiments. The kits can be purchased for home use or use in the classroom. BioBits supplies an accompanying curriculum that meets the standards of K-12 STEM education in the United States.
