Apparatus and method for rapidly oscillating specimen vessels

摘要

Apparatus and method for rapidly oscillating specimen containing vessels such as those used in an RNA recovery operation wherein small sized glass sized beads in the vessel are employed to disrupt the cell walls of an RNA component to release the RNA, includes a specimen vessel holder provided as a disc in which the containers are received. The disc is operably connected with oscillatory motion producing means that in operation oscillates the disc rapidly in an oscillatory movement up and down symmetrically of a fixed vertical axis. The disc is haltered so it cannot rotate about the fixed axis. Locking means in the form of a locking plate locks the vessels on the vessel holder and applies a clamping force thereto to prevent relative movement between the vessels and the holder to prevent generation of heat that could be of deleterious effect to the specimen material or the vessels holding same.