The choice of which Sonicator and probe size work best depends upon the sample volume range to be processed. Qsonica offers a variety of Sonicators and accessories which provides flexibility from the smallest laboratory applications to industrial volumes.

Tips & Info for Cell Lysis

• For best results, cells should be relatively dispersed in the liquid volume prior to being homogenized with the Sonicator. While the Sonicator will disperse dense pellets, processing will be more uniform if starting from a dispersed cell solution.
• Do not over-process! The additional heat and energy from processing too long or at too high of an amplitude can reduce the quality of your sample for downstream experiments (by, for example, increasing protein denaturation or reducing RNA quality). When developing a protocol for cell lysis, the goal should be to find the lowest time and amplitude which will do the job well.
• Different types of cells will homogenize differently. Even the size of cells can impact your results. If you are changing from one type of cell to another, you may need to re-optimize your protocol unless the cells are very similar.
• Many biological molecules are heat sensitive. Be sure to homogenize on ice or use another cooling method. Also, make good use of the pulse function to allow time for the sample to cool during processing.
• With careful protocol optimization, it is possible to isolate intact organelles from lysed cells! See our organelle isolation page for more information.
• If you want to lyse organelles, you may need to increase the processing time or power. Generally, the smaller the organelle, the longer and / or more intense processing will be required to lyse them.
• For general best practices, see Best Practices for Ultrasonic Homogenization.