Tube Holder (50ml) for Jigsaw Bead Miling
Description
We successfully use stainless steel beads of appropriate sizes to mechanically macerate both individual specimens and environmental samples for subsequent DNA/RNA isolation. In our case, we generally macerate in 1.5, 2 and 50-ml tubes attached to the blade of a jigsaw. We've found that this allows for very effective tissue disruption, particularly if it has been desiccated over silica gel prior to beating. HOWEVER, this homemade cell lysis protocol can be sloppy and lead to sample loss when using insecure tube fasteners. We’ve designed the following with the aim to quicken and improve sample maceration for field-based extractions or simply for the weekend citizen scientist, without need of expensive commercial lysis mills. We have designed this holder for 50-ml Falcon-type tubes. It is a relatively simple design but saves substantial time because samples are held snug without risk of tube or tube top cracking. This tragedy is especially common when using larger steel beads to macerate challenging environmental samples. We currently use it mainly to macerate bulk mosquito samples but have used it also for beetle and other more robust organisms. These just require slightly larger steel beads. The time and effort for this design are part of a citizen science project made possible through the generous backing of the Food, Health and Conservation Foundation.
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