>Does the high price on Thermo Fisher’s total RNA mean that they’re making insane margins that a competitor could cut in on?
Yes, definitely. Thermo Fisher is notorious for charging high prices. Sigma-Aldrich is also expensive but not as outrageous.
NEB sells a total RNA extraction kit that has 50 preps of 100 µg/prep for a list price of $305. So for $423 you should be able to get at least 5,000 µg of RNA.
The post is correct that all these prices would come down significantly if anyone started doing these extractions at scale. Separations and purifications are much more expensive than growing bacteria. When you buy something from Sigma or Thermo what you're really paying for is the quality control.
>Does the high price on Thermo Fisher’s total RNA mean that they’re making insane margins that a competitor could cut in on?
Yes, definitely. Thermo Fisher is notorious for charging high prices. Sigma-Aldrich is also expensive but not as outrageous.
NEB sells a total RNA extraction kit that has 50 preps of 100 µg/prep for a list price of $305. So for $423 you should be able to get at least 5,000 µg of RNA.
https://www.neb.com/en-us/products/t2010-monarch-total-rna-miniprep-kit
The post is correct that all these prices would come down significantly if anyone started doing these extractions at scale. Separations and purifications are much more expensive than growing bacteria. When you buy something from Sigma or Thermo what you're really paying for is the quality control.