Tired of the same old grind in the new genomics and proteomics era?

New discoveries in life sciences depend on accurate analysis of biomolecules, which in turn depends on the extraction of high-quality molecules in high quantities from the tissues of plants, animals or microorganisms. The extraction process for hard-to-lyse cells and tissues has been a bottleneck in the path to discovery for many years. This review describes extraction methods currently in use, and compares them to a newly developed, automated process involving patented pressure cycling technology (PCT). The PCT sample preparation system (SPS) uses an instrument capable of rapid, temperature-controlled pressure cycling between ambient and high pressures, and single-use sample tubes containing a ram and a lysis disk. The quality and quantity of nucleic acid and protein prepared by the PCT SPS method are comparable to the older methods, whereas ease and safety of processing, reproducibility, speed and control are enhanced.