Abstract: A method for lysing prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells, or for simultaneous lysis of both, which includes at least three of the following: a mass of active, small-diameter beads corresponding to 50% or less than a mass of active, larger-diameter beads, and/or a total mass of lysing beads (consisting of a single type of bead or a mixture of smaller and larger beads) corresponding to between 50 and 100% of the total mass of the processed biological sample, and/or a lysis time of from 10 to 20 minutes, and/or seven or less non-lysing glass beads to drive the movement of the lysing beads, and/or from five to fifteen non-lysing iron beads to drive the movement of the lysing beads, depending on whether sonication, mechanical vortex centrifugation or magnetic vortex centrifugation is used.

Abstract: An apparatus including at least one sonotrode (2) designed to generate ultrasound of variable power in at least one biological sample (5) containing cells to be lysed, the sample (5) being contained in at least one receptacle (4 or 10) such that the sonotrode (2) is in direct contact with the receptacle(s) (4). Also disclosed is a method for using ultrasound to lyse a biological sample (5) contained in a receptacle (4), which includes placing the receptacle (4) in direct contact with the sonotrode (2), and activating the sonotrode (2) for long enough to lyse the cells in the sample (5) but preserve the DNA and/or RNA molecules released for subsequent operations, e.g. amplification. The invention is particularly applicable in the discipline of molecular biology.

Abstract: This invention concerns a method for the lysis of prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells, or for simultaneous lysis of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells