Need help choosing?
Tell us protein type + throughput + target scale → we’ll recommend a starting kit and workflow.
OpenCFPS™ E. coli Core Kit (Z0001)
1 mL
$80.00
Sale price
$80.00
Regular price
OpenCFPS™ E. coli Core Kit (Z0001)
High yield. Low cost. Fully documented. Run more variants, iterate faster, and scale winners—without a black box.
$80.00
Sale price
$80.00
Regular price
Shipping from $30
About
OpenCFPS is Sepia’s open, cell-free protein synthesis platform designed to deliver high expression yields at a cost that supports real experimental throughput. Fully documented at the genome and buffer level, OpenCFPS gives scientists the transparency they need to troubleshoot, optimize, and scale—without relying on a black box. The platform enables teams to build internal CFPS workflows for proteins traditionally expressed in E. coli, replace internally produced reagents, efficiently screen large engineered protein libraries, and scale up winning variants using screening- and scale-optimized kits with consistent, traceable performance.
What’s Included
Choosing a kit size
| Kit size | Best for |
|---|---|
| 1 mL | Light screening and kit testing |
| 10 mL | Heavy screening or light mg-scale scale-up |
| 100 mL | Automated screening or heavy mg-scale scale-up |
| 1000 mL | Automated screening, automated mg-scale scale-up, and g-scale scale-up |
Included components
| Kit size | Cell-free extract(3.3×) | Cell-free buffer(2.5×) | Control plasmid(50×) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 1 × 0.3 mL | 1 × 0.4 mL | 1 × 0.025 mL |
| 10 mL | 3 × 1 mL | 3 × 1.33 mL | 1 × 0.025 mL |
| 100 mL | 1 × 30 mL | 1 × 40 mL | 1 × 0.025 mL |
| 1000 mL | 10 × 30 mL | 10 × 40 mL | 1 × 0.025 mL |
Data
Figure 1. The OpenCFPS™ E. coli Core Kit runs with low DNA concentrations using either plasmid or linear DNA. Different DNA concentrations and formats were tested; endpoint GFP after 12 h at 29 °C in 10 µL reactions is shown as a function of DNA concentration (left). Transcription (Tx) and translation (Tl) from 4 nM plasmid DNA or 8 nM linear DNA are also shown (right). Click here for additional data.
Figure 2. The OpenCFPS™ E. coli Core Kit produces superior yield compared to other industry kits. Sepia, N, G1, and G2 were run with 4 nM of plasmid DNA or 8 nM of linear DNA encoding sfGFP. Shown is endpoint signal at 30 µL after 12 h at 29 °C. Click here for additional data.
Figure 3. The OpenCFPS™ E. coli Core Kit produces approximately 2 mg/mL sfGFP at scale. Three 1.05 mL reactions expressing sfGFP from Control Plasmid DNA pS-T7-sfGFP r1 were incubated in a FlowerPlate™ at 29 °C for 12 h and purified by Ni-NTA. Shown are in-lysate concentration and recovered yield normalized to input lysate (left), lysate after expression (top right), and SDS-PAGE of a 5 µg pooled purified-protein load (bottom right). Click here for additional data.
Figure 4. The OpenCFPS™ E. coli Core Kit produces a variety of proteins. Multiple fluorescent and chromogenic proteins are expressed and visualized in daylight. Courtesy of Gabrielle Ho. Click here for additional data.
Figure 5. The OpenCFPS™ E. coli Core Kit produces a variety of proteins. Enzymes, antibody-derived biologics, peptide fusions, and other proteins of prokaryotic/phage, eukaryotic, or synthetic origin are expressed and visualized by running the soluble fraction (post-spin) of the resulting reaction on a Coomassie-stained SDS-PAGE gel. Click here for additional data.
Resources
Quick Start Guide (PDF) Setup and first-use guide for running OpenCFPS™ reactions.
Certificate of Analysis (CoA), lot Z000126061901 (PDF) Lot-specific composition and QC release results.
Lot QA comparison data, lot Z000126061901 (ZIP) Lot-comparison data and supporting QC outputs.
Control plasmid sequence (D0001) (GenBank) Annotated sequence for pS-T7-sfGFP r1.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS, US) (PDF) Safety, handling, and regulatory information for the kit.
FAQs
- How does OpenCFPS™ differ from other CFPS kits? OpenCFPS™ provides transparency (genome and buffer composition), lot-level QC, and pricing that allows for either screening at-scale or protein scale-up.
- What kinds of proteins can I produce with the OpenCFPS™ E. coli Core Kit? The core kit supports cytosolic proteins that are natural or engineered. Yields of proteins with 2+ disulfide bridges or that have membrane domains may be reduced.
- Can the Core Kit make antibodies, nanobodies, scFvs, VHHs, etc.? The core kit can make scFvs and VHHs. A kit optimized for more complex biologics, up to mAbs, is coming soon.
- How much protein yield can I expect? Expect from 0.1 mg/mL to 3 mg/mL based on your protein’s ability to fold. We have shown up to ~2 mg/mL of sfGFP.
- How do you quantify productivity? When possible, we quantify sfGFP productivity in Relative Fluorescein Equivalents (RFE) against a fluorescein chemical standard, using an approach adapted from Piorino et al. (2025). This facilitates comparison to a defined chemical standard. For purified proteins, we determine concentration by A280 using molecular weight and extinction coefficient (MW/ε), and assess purity by SDS-PAGE.
- What’s in the kit? Each lot has a Certificate of Analysis (COA) which details the composition of each component.
- How consistent is OpenCFPS™ between batches? Lot-level QC ensures reproducibility and traceability; as a QC criterion, each lot is tested against a prior lot. However, given the nature of cell-free reagent production, no lots will be identical.
- What if I need identical lots? If you need identical lots, we suggest buying everything you need up front to ensure you are using the same lot for your entire workflow.
- What if my protein needs glycosylation or other post-translational modifications? The current OpenCFPS™ E. coli Core Kit does not provide eukaryotic glycosylation machinery. Support for other post-translational modifications is target-dependent and should be evaluated for the specific protein.
- What if I need endotoxin-free products? The Core kit can be scaled and then endotoxin can be removed by endotoxin removal (albeit with yield loss).
- Can I use my own constructs instead of your designs? Yes, however the constructs provided in this kit have been optimized for cell-free expression by using a strong promoter and RBS combination, and by adding ~100 bp ends to linear DNA. If you use your own, you should empirically test its performance. You may get lower yield.
- My promoters are T7-lacO based. Can I still use this kit? T7-lacO promoters are supported but you will need to add 0.4 mM IPTG or the promoter will be repressed by lacI present in the system. However, expect lower yield.
- My promoters are E. coli RNA-polymerase-dependent promoters (for example, σ70 promoters, pTac, and pLac). Can I still use this kit? Not recommended; the Core Kit is not optimized for these promoters and may require much higher DNA concentrations. A kit optimized for this use is coming soon.
- My linear DNA from my construct is not performing well. Why? Linear DNA is inherently less stable than plasmid DNA and will degrade over time in the kit. Protecting the promoter and terminator region of the linear DNA with ~100 bp ends is important to ensure stability, as well as maximizing expression in the first hours of the reaction.
- I do circuit prototyping and/or synthetic biology applications. Will this kit work for me? No, unless your application utilizes T7 promoters. The Core kit will not work well with σ70 promoters. A kit optimized for this is coming soon!
- Is freeze-thaw of the kit OK? Yes, freeze-thaw of the kit is generally acceptable. Ideally, the extract and buffer are kept at 4 °C during thawing. You may see precipitate in the extract and/or buffer; mix before use.
- My kit arrived with thawed cold packs. Is this OK? Yes. Kits ship with cold packs. If the extract and buffer are still cold on arrival, the kit is suitable for use. Store the components at the temperatures listed on the label after receipt.
- Do you support purchasing with purchase orders? Yes. Upon qualification, we can extend terms for purchases made by purchase order.
- Do you support tax exemptions? Yes. Please email a tax exemption certificate, and we can mark your account as tax-exempt.