Alterlab ginkgo cloud

Skill AlterLab-IEU/AlterLab-Academic-Skills/skills/lab-integrations/alterlab-ginkgo-cloud

Submits and manages protocols on Ginkgo Bioworks Cloud Lab (cloud.ginkgo.bio), a web-based interface for autonomous lab execution on Reconfigurable Automation Carts (RACs), covering protocol selection, input preparation, pricing, and ordering workflows. Use when running cell-free protein expression (validation or optimization), generating fluorescent pixel art, or interacting with Ginkgo Cloud Lab services. Part of the AlterLab Academic Skills suite.From its SKILL.md

Install

npx -y skills add AlterLab-IEU/AlterLab-Academic-Skills --skill alterlab-ginkgo-cloud

Assembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.

What its file declares

Copied from the file, not written here

The file declares its own license as MIT. That is the author’s claim about this one file, and it is not the same thing as the license GitHub reports for the repository, which is listed with the other numbers below.

SKILL.md

3.7 KB, 681 tokens by cl100k_base, as published. Nobody here has run it

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.

Available Protocols

1. Cell Free Protein Expression Validation

Rapid go/no-go expression screening using reconstituted E. coli CFPS. Submit a FASTA sequence (up to 1800 bp) and receive expression confirmation, baseline titer (mg/L), and initial purity with virtual gel images.

Price: $39/sample | Turnaround: 5-10 days | Status: Certified
Details: See references/cell-free-protein-expression-validation.md

2. Cell Free Protein Expression Optimization

DoE-based optimization across up to 24 conditions per protein (lysates, temperatures, chaperones, disulfide enhancers, cofactors). Designed for difficult-to-express and membrane proteins.

Price: $199/sample | Turnaround: 6-11 days | Status: Certified
Details: See references/cell-free-protein-expression-optimization.md

3. Fluorescent Pixel Art Generation

Transform a pixel art image (48x48 to 96x96 px, PNG/SVG) into fluorescent bacterial artwork using up to 11 E. coli strains via acoustic dispensing. Delivered as high-res UV photographs.

Price: $25/plate | Turnaround: 5-7 days | Status: Beta
Details: See references/fluorescent-pixel-art-generation.md

General Ordering Workflow

Select a protocol at https://cloud.ginkgo.bio/protocols
Configure parameters (number of samples/proteins, replicates, plates)
Upload input files (FASTA for protein protocols, PNG/SVG for pixel art)
Add any special requirements in the Additional Details field
Submit and receive a feasibility report and price quote

For protocols not listed above, use the EstiMate chat to describe a custom protocol in plain language and receive 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 [email protected] 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: Sample prep, liquid handling, analytical readouts, storage, incubation
Nebula: Ginkgo's autonomous lab facility in Boston, MA