FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use previously used Lyse-It slides a second time to lyse samples ?
Unfortunately not. The Lyse-It slides are single use and have been “damaged” after they were used. Used slides should be dispose of as biological waste, depending on your local state guidelines with regard to the disposal of hazardous waste.
- Can I reuse the Slide Mount ?
Yes, the slide mount can be used many times to mount your Lyse-It slides. Note: At higher rates of heating and prolonged heating times, the slide mounts can become damaged. We recommend a new slide mount at this time.
- I have used all the Lyse-It slides in the starter kit bundle, where can I purchase more of this item ?
The Lyse-It slides and indeed all of our products are available at www.Lyse-It.com Alternatively call one of our customer care professionals at: +001 443 655 6085, who will be most happy to help you.
- Can Lyse-It™ lyse any bacteria ?
Yes, Lyse-It works for any bug, bacteria, spore, plant cell, human cell or virus alike. You do not have to use different lysing kits for different samples, Lyse-It does it all on one simple platform. Check out our "Methodology" section for specific data. In addition, much more lysing data is shown on both our Facebook and Twitter pages.
- Sometimes I see sparking within the Microwave Cavity ?
As the microwave field condenses and amplifies at the triangle apexes, it is common to see the occasional spark. This will not impact your lysing result.
- The Microwave Slide mount is sometimes warm / hot after use, is this normal ?
Yes, the Lyse-It technology condenses the microwave field down between the apexes, and while the slide mount material does not heat readily, it does get warm with continued use. Many of our customers have several slide blocks to hand when large volumes of samples are being progressively lysed.
- How do I know what settings to Lyse my samples at ?
Most bacteria, bugs, viruses, plant cells are Lysed using our standard settings, i.e. 30 % power, 30 seconds heating. However, we recommend you test the Lysing efficiency after lysing using either gel electrophoresis (to show DNA/RNA/Protein fragmentation) or microscopy, to show cellular disruption. Using these settings, we typically see DNA fragmented to < 1000 bp fragments, which is ideal for PCR based detection. Depending on your requirements, you may want to heat for longer or shorter times at higher and lower microwave powers respectively. When you heat at either higher powers and/or for longer times, you progressively cut the DNA/RNA into shorter and then shorter fragments.
- How do I fragment the DNA of my samples to smaller base-pair (bp) size
distributions. I need smaller bp sizes than what the standard settings yields ?
Our standard settings of 30 % power and 30 seconds typically both lyse and fragment most genomes to < 1000 base-pair sizes, ideal for many PCR and NAAT tests. However you can increase both the time and power of lysing by changing the heating settings. We strongly recommend that you do not heat for greater than 50 % power and 60 seconds, as this setting provides for significant heating within the Lyse-It. We recommend all our customers perform quick gel electrophoresis testing of their lysate to confirm their required bp size distribution.
- How do I change the microwave power and heating time settings on the
Microwave oven ?
This is a simple process, first you enter the power, then the time for heating. Below is an example for 50 % power, 60 seconds heating. We consider this to be a very hot setting and strongly recommend you never exceed this setting.
On the Microwave control panel, press “Power”, then press “5”, then press “start”, followed by “6”, “0” “start”. You will now here the microwave start, and your 60 second lysing procedure has begun. After 60 seconds, the microwave will beep. Be careful, both the Lyse-It slide and slide mount, maybe very hot.
- Have other researchers published peer-reviewed papers on the Lyse-It technology ?
Yes, Lyse-It is becoming a popular approach for both cellular lysing and DNA fragmentation. Below are a few example papers: Please contact us for paper reprints, info@Lyse-It.com
- I really like the Lyse-It™ technology, how do I follow new product updates ?
Please visit the Lyse-It homepage: www.Lyse-It.com or our twitter / facebook page for the latest updates, peer reviewed papers and product releases: https://twitter.com/Lyse-It
12. Do you have any instructional video's.
Yes, Please visit our u-tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJIubUNos3k7MZErIXHE3pA
13. Can Lyse-It lyse food products ?
Yes, Lyse-It is ideal for lysing a variety of foods and plants. Our twitter and Facebook pages show data on Spinach, Mince Beef etc.
14. Can Lyse-It lyse both gram positive and negative bacteria ?
Yes, our "Methodology" section, shows data for Bacillus Anthraces (Anthrax); Chlamydia Trachomatis; Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Our twitter page shows additional data for MRSA, E. Coli, Salmonella etc. In general, Gram Positive bacteria require higher heating powers and times, as compared to Gram Negative bacteria.
15. I am interested in Lysing large numbers of samples, how can Lyse-It help ?
Lyse-It is ideal for handling large numbers of samples, such as in clinical trials or diagnostic / hospital laboratories. Lyse-It has already been used in one clinical trial and in one hospital setting. Because Lyse-It is a very fast lysing process, this means you can throughput a great many samples in a single day, saving time and processing costs. Please call us to discuss your needs: +001 443 655 6085
16. I don't want to fragment my DNA / RNA or proteins, I just want to lyse my cells, how can I do this ?
Lyse-It is ideal for simply lysing cells and recovering either intact proteins or high molecular weight DNA for applications such as in proteomics or for sequencing. By simply lysing for 15 seconds at 50 % power, all cells are lysed, but with no fragmentation of the biomolecules. Fragmentation occurs at longer times in the lysing process.