ginkgo-cloud-lab

Ginkgo Cloud Lab

Overview

Ginkgo Cloud Lab (https://cloud.ginkgo.bio) provides remote access to Ginkgo Bioworks' autonomous lab infrastructure. Protocols are executed on Reconfigurable Automation Carts (RACs) -- modular units with robotic arms, maglev sample transport, and industrial-grade software spanning 70+ instruments.

The platform also includes EstiMate, an AI agent that accepts human-language protocol descriptions and returns feasibility assessments and pricing for custom workflows beyond the listed protocols.

The catalog is organized into Expression & Purification (in vitro / cell-free / E. coli / Pichia), Characterization & Assay, Method & Target Onboarding, and Specialty. Pick a protocol below, then read its reference file for inputs, outputs, the automated workflow, and ordering details.

Available Protocols

Expression & Purification - In vitro

Protocol	Readout	Price	Turnaround	Status
IVT mRNA/circRNA Synthesis	qPCR (mRNA or circRNA, 384-well)	$99/sample	up to 12 business days	Certified

Expression & Purification - Cell-free (E. coli CFPS)

Protocol	Readout	Price	Turnaround	Status
Validate sequence expression	Go/no-go titer + purity (up to 1800 bp)	$39/sample	up to 10 days	Certified
Optimize expression conditions	DoE across 24 conditions	$199/sample	up to 11 days	Certified
Express + quantify (HiBiT)	Luminescence, no purification	$39/sample	up to 11 days	Certified
Express + purify (A280)	Strep-tag, A280 yield	$149/sample	up to 11 days	Certified
Express + purify minibinder	Strep-tag, A280, LabChip	$149/sample	up to 11 days	Certified
Express + purify (A280 + LabChip)	Strep-tag, A280 + purity/size	$159/sample	up to 12 days	Certified

Expression & Purification - E. coli

Protocol	Readout	Price	Turnaround	Status
Express + quantify (HiBiT)	Luminescence (up to 384 constructs)	$79/sample	up to 3 weeks	Certified
Express + purify (A280)	His-tag, A280 yield	$199/sample	up to 3 weeks	Certified
Express + purify minibinder	His-tag, A280 yield	$199/sample	up to 3 weeks	Certified
Express + purify (A280 + LabChip)	His-tag, A280 + purity/size	$209/sample	up to 3 weeks	Certified

Expression & Purification - Pichia

Protocol	Readout	Price	Turnaround	Status
Express + quantify (LabChip)	Secreted protein, size/purity (up to 96)	$89/sample	up to 4 weeks	Certified (New)

Characterization & Assay

Protocol	Readout	Price	Turnaround	Status
Express + thermal shift	SYPRO Orange Tm (Tonset, TM1-3)	$159/sample	up to 12 days	Certified
Detect enzymatic products (Echo-MS)	Substrate/product by Echo-MS	$44/sample	up to 13 days	Beta

Method & Target Onboarding

Protocol	Readout	Price	Turnaround	Status
Onboard Echo-MS method	Calibration curve, LOD/LOQ	$799/molecule	up to 3 weeks	Certified
Onboard SPR target	Validated SPR capture method	$1,399/target	up to 4 weeks	Beta

Specialty

Protocol	Readout	Price	Turnaround	Status
Generate fluorescent pixel art	UV photo, 7-color E. coli palette	$25/plate	up to 7 days	Beta

Coming soon: Protein Expression and Binding Affinity Characterization (express + purify, then screen binding affinity against a target).

Choosing a Protocol

• Quick expressibility screen? Cell-free HiBiT ($39) or Validate sequence expression ($39).
• Need purified protein + yield? A280 tiers (cell-free or E. coli); add LabChip for purity/size.
• Difficult / membrane / disulfide / cofactor targets? Cell-free Optimize (24-condition DoE).
• Secreted or eukaryotic targets? Pichia expression.
• Screening de novo binders/minibinders? Cell-free or E. coli minibinder tiers, then SPR onboarding for kinetics.
• Enzyme activity / biocatalysis? Echo-MS enzymatic detection (onboard the analyte method first).
• Stability / developability ranking? Thermal shift assay.
• RNA (mRNA/circRNA)? IVT synthesis + qPCR.

General Ordering Workflow

1. Select a protocol at https://cloud.ginkgo.bio/protocols
2. Configure parameters (number of proteins/samples/molecules/targets, replicates, plates)
3. Download the protocol's input template and upload inputs (FASTA/CSV/XLSX for sequence protocols; Design Tool for pixel art; vendor catalog numbers for onboarding)
4. Add any special requirements in the Additional Details field
5. Provide an email, agree to the protocol terms, and add to cart / submit to receive a feasibility report and price quote

For protocols not listed above, use the EstiMate chat (https://cloud.ginkgo.bio/estimate) to describe a custom protocol in plain language and receive a compatibility assessment and pricing.

Authentication

Access Ginkgo Cloud Lab at https://cloud.ginkgo.bio. Account creation or institutional access may be required. Contact Ginkgo at cloud@ginkgo.bio for access questions.

Key Infrastructure

• RACs (Reconfigurable Automation Carts): Modular robotic units with high-precision arms and maglev transport
• Catalyst Software: Protocol orchestration, scheduling, parameterization, and real-time monitoring
• 70+ integrated instruments: Agilent Bravo liquid handlers, Beckman/Labcyte Echo acoustic dispensers, BMG PHERAstar / Tecan Spark readers, Revvity LabChip, Bio-Rad CFX Opus, Nicoya Alto SPR, SciEx Echo-MS, Inheco/Cytomat incubators, and more
• Nebula: Ginkgo's autonomous lab facility in Boston, MA

Agent operating procedure

1. Check the environment. Confirm the instrument or platform model, API version, credentials and whether a simulator is available.
2. Pin down the inputs. Confirm formats, identifiers and parameters from the data or the user. Ask rather than guess any value that changes the result.
3. Run a small version first. Simulate the protocol or run it with water or dummy labware before using real samples.
4. Execute the full task using the instructions and references above.
5. Validate the result. Verify volumes, deck layout and labware definitions; have a human approve the protocol before execution.
6. Report. State what was run (versions, commands, parameters), what was checked, and what is still uncertain.

If this happens	Do this
The protocol fails in simulation	Fix it in simulation; never run an unvalidated protocol on hardware.
A function, flag or endpoint in these instructions is missing in the installed version	Check the installed version's own documentation (help(), --help, official docs), adapt, and tell the user. Never invent an API.
A required input, identifier or parameter is ambiguous	Ask the user, or state the assumption explicitly before running.

Integrity rules

• Never fabricate results, parameters, identifiers, citations or statistics. If something cannot be run or verified, say so plainly.
• Never trigger physical actions, orders or charges without explicit user confirmation.
• Treat version-specific details here as possibly outdated: confirm them against the official documentation for the installed version.
• Ask before actions that cost money, consume shared GPUs or cloud quota, touch personal or patient data, or cannot be undone.

Related skills

• adaptyv: How to use the Adaptyv Bio Foundry API and Python SDK for protein experiment design, submission, and results retrieval.