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Benefits
The Corvaris Sample Preparation Advantage
For almost all advanced biological and chemical applications, Sample Preparation is a key step between the initial sample collection but it has become a bottleneck due to lack of high-tech tools and an industrial style approach (Figures 1 & 2).
Figure 1
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Figure 2
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The following are several commonly used sample preparation processes and various concerns associated with each method due to their intrinsic characteristics:
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Sample Prep Method
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Problems and Concerns
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Covaris Advantage
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Chemical-based
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Harsh chemical and detergent interference to downstream reactions
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The Covaris technology enables a fundamentally different physical process, which leads to controlled, quantitative and standardized sample preparation
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Shear/stress-based
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Too large - only reach ~100 micron size limit; potential cross contamination
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Pressure-based
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Elevated pressure and/or from thermal shocks can cause protein denaturation
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Low-frequency
"Sonicator"
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heat damage and inconsistency, potential cross contamination from contact process
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Benefits of Adaptive Focused Acoustics (AFA)
The patented Covaris Adaptive Focused Acoustics™ (AFA) technology platform has many benefits:
- Enables numerous non-contact, isothermal processes to be developed
- Effectively disrupts initial samples, such as tissue pieces, to molecular-level pieces (micron or submicron size). Most current methods of sample preparation cannot reach <100 µm easily (see chart above)
- Extraordinary reproducibility due to greater parameter control
- Higher yield and better quality due to effects of applying focused acoustics
These benefits not only improve data, but also enable researchers from various company sites, or even different institutions, to apply the same protocol, compare data, and implement quality initiatives, such as the lean six-sigma programs.
Unique Design Approach
In addition to the benefits associated with the AFA technology, Covaris also has unique advantages from its approach to instrument design. At Covaris, the goal of instrument design is to concurrently stabilize labile target molecules during the extraction process. The design for the Covaris instruments, sample vessels, waveforms and their positions, are all tailored to deliver the best quality and the highest yield target molecules, which includes DNA, RNA, protein, other metabolites, and small molecules. (See "How it Works")
This design logic gives systematically effective doses to samples being processed. In comparison, the conventional, low-frequency "sonicating" process generates scattered, ineffective, and unaligned doses, which are then wasted.
One Tool, Multiple Applications
Since the AFA is such a basic technology, and the Covaris instruments are such versatile tools for sample preparation, and the same Covaris device can be used for multiple purposes.This versatility can allow multiple groups to use the same instrument. For example, the Covaris S220 is used by one group of researchers on DNA shearing, another group for RNA extraction, and the third group would run small molecule dissolutions/formulations. Since the technology is non-contact, Covaris instruments are ideal for a shared environment due to no clean-up, and no chance of cross-contamination.
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