Dry Cryopulverization

Covaris dry cryopulverization is a non-contact workflow that disrupts the extracellular tissue matrix by introducing “cracks” in the cell membranes. This increases the surface area to improve lysis efficiency with extraction buffers.

Conventional Cryopulverization Methods for Cell Disruption

Deconstructing complex biological samples into individual targets, while maintaining sample integrity, is a necessary first step in achieving maximum yield and sample prep reproducibility. This is especially critical when analyzing rare or irreplaceable samples.
Traditional mortar and pestle
Standardization of analytical applications involving cryopulverization of tissues using the traditional mortar and pestle methods can be difficult and inefficient. Conventional methods for tissue disruption are often difficult to use when working with large volumes or fibrous samples. The workflows can be laborious, time-consuming and often times the sample temperature is uncontrolled which compromises the recovery and reproducibility of the sample prep. The processes can also be hazardous due to the use of harsh chemicals.

Non-Contact, rapid, dry pulverization of biological tissue for Downstream Analytical Applications



Covaris tissue disruption systems have been designed to simplify tissue processing workflows. Tissues are collected, loaded into a tissueTUBE™, flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen, cryopulverized in a cryoPREP Dry Impactor, and then transferred to a Covaris tube for extraction powered by AFA®. Unlike other tissue disruption methods, cryoPREP Dry Pulverizers deliver a controlled mechanical force to cryofracture flash-frozen samples. The closed system eliminates the risk of cross-contamination. The controlled, high-impact force to flash-frozen tissue in tissueTUBEs provides a highly robust processing method while maintaining sub-zero temperatures. The cryofracturing of the tissue breaks it into small pieces and introduces “holes” in the tissue. This increases the surface area and improves the lysis efficiency without using harsh chemicals.
In this video we show the comparison between traditional mortar and pestle workflows compared to the cryoPREP Dry Pulverizer workflow.

Covaris Dry Cryopulverization Workflow Advantages



By pairing the cryoPREP with Adaptive Focused Acoustics® (AFA®), investigators are able to improve the extraction efficiency of both stable and labile molecules without disrupting the integrity of the targeted biomolecules.