In our lab we currently use the Qiagen DNeasy PowerSoil DNA individual 100 prep extraction kits. The kit works well for our sediment/soil samples, but the throughput is low. Qiagen offer a 96 HTP version of the kit which we are trying to switch to, but I am experiencing a few issues with the initial steps.....
1) How to successfully add sample into the cell lysis plate without cross contamination. So far I have attempted to use a plastic plate seal that I puncture for each new sample and a tin foil cover. Neither method is great. I have read that some people have used funnels to add samples, but this will not work for our wet samples.
2) Finding a balance that is accurate to 3 decimal places, but also can accommodate the weight of the cell lysis plate (~230g).
I would really appreciate any advice from people who have used/are suing this version of the kit.
I have used the individual tube kit but not the plate kits. If you learn more about it, I will be keen to know how well it works!
Cheers, and happy Christmas!
Alex
Hi Alex,
Just seen your response, sorry!
We have purchased the equipment to move to plate format.
My colleague came across this video demo.
https://www.jove.com/video/57932/isolation-analysis-microbial-communities-soil-rhizosphere-roots
From 6.33 mins you will see they use flat sided funnels to weigh sample before adding to the 96 well plate. I have ordered some and we will test this and I will let you know how we get on. This step is always going to be time consuming, whichever kit is used, but once this part is done the rest of the protocol can be speeded up.