BioBricks answers

Every answer below is aimed at a question people measurably search for, is written from named sources, and links to the page that handles the job itself. None of them is a landing page in disguise.

Answers for the lab that orders synthesis and sequencing: what OEM oligos, guide RNA, sgRNA, antisense oligonucleotides and custom DNA synthesis are and how each is priced; how plasmids are constructed, purified and produced at scale and what the certificate has to show; and what an amplicon sequencing service should deliver per sample. Each page points at the vendor comparison on this site that records the prices vendors actually publish, verified and dated.

• OEM oligos: how bulk and private-label oligo supply is quoted, and what to ask before you sign

  What OEM oligos are, how a kit maker or diagnostics company gets them quoted, and the specification questions that set the price per base.

• Guide RNA for CRISPR: single guide, crRNA and tracrRNA, synthetic or in vitro transcribed, and how each is priced

  How to choose and buy guide RNA for CRISPR: sgRNA or two-part guides, synthetic or in vitro transcribed, chemical modifications and what each costs.

• Oligonucleotide synthesis: how custom oligos are made, why scale and purification set the price, and how to compare vendors

  How oligonucleotide synthesis works, why price per base depends on scale, purification and modifications, and how to compare vendors.

• sgRNA: what a single guide RNA is, when to buy it synthetic, when to make it, and how vendors price it

  What sgRNA is, how a single guide differs from a two-part guide, when to buy it synthetic and when to transcribe it, and how vendors price it.

• Large scale plasmid production: research, high quality and GMP grades, what each certificate covers and how to buy

  How large scale plasmid production is graded from research to GMP, what the certificate must show, how lead time scales and how to compare vendors.

• shRNA: how short hairpin RNA knockdown works, plasmid versus lentiviral versus library formats, and how to buy the constructs

  What shRNA is and how it differs from siRNA, the plasmid, lentiviral and library formats it is sold in, and where the plasmid price comparison fits.

• Antisense oligonucleotides: the chemistries, the purification and testing they need, and how research-use synthesis is priced

  How antisense oligonucleotides are made for research use, why modified chemistries drive cost, what testing to require and how to compare vendors.

• Plasmid construction: how a custom plasmid is built from synthetic DNA or cloning, what verification to require and how the service is priced

  What a plasmid construction service does, when synthetic DNA replaces cloning, the verification to require and how gene synthesis vendors price it.

• Amplicon sequencing: targeted PCR sequencing for microbiome, variant and editing readouts, and how services price it

  What amplicon sequencing is, its 16S, variant and CRISPR editing uses, what a service should deliver and how to compare sequencing vendors on price.

• Custom DNA synthesis: oligos, gene fragments and cloned genes, which to order for which job and how each is priced per base

  The three tiers of custom DNA synthesis, oligos, gene fragments and cloned genes, what each is for, how price per base is set and how to compare vendors.

• Order oligos: the choices on the order form, what each costs, and how to pick a vendor on published price and lead time

  How to order oligos: scale, purification, modifications and delivery format, what each choice does to the price, and how to compare vendors first.

• Plasmid purification: how plasmid DNA is prepared and graded, what the purity figures mean, and when to send it to a service

  How plasmid purification works from miniprep to large scale, what purity, supercoiling and endotoxin figures mean, and when to use a service.

• The best laboratory information management system, read vendor by vendor: how the top lims systems and the best lims systems differ, which lims software vendors will not name a price, and how to pick the best lims system or best lims software

  Five LIMS products read on 11 September 2026: LabWare, LabVantage, Sapio, Benchling and LabLynx. Not one of the five publishes a price on its own site.

• The best pipettes for a working bench, read manufacturer by manufacturer: which of the best pipette brands publish a catalogue price, what separates them once ISO 8655 is met, and how to choose a best multichannel pipette rather than a favourite

  Three pipette ranges read on 11 September 2026. Eppendorf lists $575.31 for a Research plus 2-20 uL single channel; Sartorius routes to a shop instead.

• The best electronic lab notebook software, read vendor by vendor: what each of four ELN products leads with on its own page, where the notebook stops and a platform begins, and why none of them will quote you a price

  Four ELN products read on 12 September 2026: Benchling, SciNote, SciSure and Labguru. None publishes a figure; all four route to a demo.

• The best confocal microscope for your samples, read vendor by vendor: what four confocal platforms lead with on their own pages, why point scanning and spinning disc answer different questions, and what none of the pages will tell you about price

  Four confocal platforms read on 12 September 2026: ZEISS LSM, Leica STELLARIS, Nikon AX with NSPARC and Andor Dragonfly. None publishes a price.

• The best mass spectrometer is the one that matches your question: five vendor ranges read vendor by vendor, why quantitation and identification pull toward different analysers, and what none of the pages will tell you about price

  Five mass spectrometry ranges read on 12 September 2026: Thermo Orbitrap, Bruker timsTOF, Agilent LC/MS, SCIEX and Waters. None publishes a price.