Equipment is pretty trivial to design+build, and additionally there's a robust secondary market in lab equipment. And, for most stuff that isn't cutting-edge, the cost is in build quality. The recent reversal of the trend away from open hardware is nice. But, most "DIY bio" equipment has the feeling of scratching a geek itch more than anything else.
The important stuff, however, is the consumables-- enzymes, antibodies, chemicals and so forth.
A good market for cheap reagents or a few good suppliers of cheap reagents+optics would do more for DIY bio than all the kickstarted copycat hardware in the world (with the exception of fluid handling robots maybe)
The important stuff, however, is the consumables-- enzymes, antibodies, chemicals and so forth.
A good market for cheap reagents or a few good suppliers of cheap reagents+optics would do more for DIY bio than all the kickstarted copycat hardware in the world (with the exception of fluid handling robots maybe)