A major step towards efficient sample preparation with bead-beating.

Tissue homogenization is a key step for molecular biology studies. This first critical step of the long biological process is aimed at detecting or quantifying DNA, RNA, proteins, or drugs. Blending, vortexing, mortar and pestle grinding, or hammering are traditional methods to disrupt the tissue matrix to liberate the nucleic acids or proteins. These methods are laborious and require training to operate. But more problematic, these methods are limited and are unable to follow the latest requirements of analysis equipment, which has radically improved in throughput (automation and parallelization), detection limits, and linearity. Researchers involved in extraction process are looking for a homogenization method that combines simplicity and efficiency. Cross-contamination, target molecule recovery, and stability are important factors that affect the data quality and high-throughput (HTP) productivity. Precellys®24 represents a hands-off approach to tissue sample preparation. Introduced three years ago by Bertin Technologies, the Precellys®24 bead beater is a uniquely designed equipment that uses small beads and a high-speed motion to grind, homogenize, or lyse tissues in 30 seconds.