Heat-it Kit™: Control gene expression using temperature

Engineer cells with a DNA program where gene expression can be manually controlled with temperature. (Manually control genes!)

Discover the Heat-it Kit, a biotechnology education kit that lets you grow and engineer bacteria with a DNA plasmid that can be controlled with heat. Decide when you want the DNA program to turn on by choosing the temperature at which you grow the bacteria. Turn the DNA program on and off to create tree ring patterns in the growth. 

This kit is also a great addition to your BioArt toolkit!

This is an all-in-one STEM project kit with no prior experience necessary though prior completion of the Canvas kit and Engineer-it Kit can be helpful. A perfect step in your journey in exploring the world of biotechnology, biohacking & genetic engineering. Compatible with Ch. 7 of Zero to Genetic Engineering Hero book to learn what are genes, how to control them manually using genetic switches, and how to use them in biotechnology, synthetic biology, and for your science fair projects. 

During this hands-on biotechnology experiment, you will learn how to control genes with heat and how to use that to make with biology.

Specifically, with this kit, you will:

1. Make selective & non-selective agar,
2. pour Petri dishes,
3. streak bacteria,
4. make bacteria chemically competent,
5. engineer bacteria using DNA plasmid (bacterial transformation),
6. create positive and negative controls,
7. amplify cultures on Petri dishes,
8. incubate at different temperatures, to activate the genetic switches,
9. see results.

(1) Heat-it Kit in Individual or Group size: Sterile water, 6cm Petri dish, LB agar, selection marker, ‘blank’ bacteria stab, transformation buffer, recovery media, positive control bacteria stab, DNA plasmid, streaking stencils, inactivation bag.

• Individual Kits: An individual kit with all the ingredients needed for completing one entire science experience. Great for an individual or a small group.

• Classroom/Group Kits: Four individually packaged kits with the needed ingredients to complete four entire science experiences. 1 shared resources bag containing the bacteria, DNA plasmid, and inactivation bags, which are shared between all participants. Great for the classroom, advanced AP biology, science fair projects, and iGEM teams.

• Instructions: a manual with easy-to-understand vocabulary and step-by-step procedures and an online experiment simulation to practice with, teach you fundamentals, and guide you along the way. Available online. See the Resources tab for links!

To complete this experiment, you will need to have access to either the DNA Playground or, if you have your own laboratory equipment, a 37°C incubator, a hot water bath, crushed ice & ice bucket.

Cleaning and safety supplies are not included in the kit. Necessary safety and cleaning supplies are latex or nitrile gloves, and a chlorinated bleach cleaner or a 10% solution of chlorinated bleach in a spray bottle (you can make this by adding 9 parts water to 1 part bleach in a spray bottle). You can add a Mini Safety Set to your kit which includes gloves and a reusable plastic apron to protect your clothes.

For more information about safety, set up and clean up, you can have a look at the instruction manual for the experiment linked in the Ressources section below, and at the "Practicing safe science" page.

Shipping Times

Experiment kits are shipped 1-10 working days after you place your order. If you require yours for a specific date or event, please contact us before or with your order # so that we can try to make it happen for you! ☺︎ 

Storage

For the best results, and the longest shelf life possible, refrigerate the kit(s) upon arrival. You'll find a "Best by" date on the kit's label. This date assumes you've refrigerated your kit upon arrival.

For any questions, don't hesistate to reach out to us - contact us