Robust Extraction of Metabolites, Lipids, and Proteins from Tissues Using the Covaris R230

City of Hope's Lorenzi Lab is building toward a systems-level biochemical picture of host and microbiome biology by extracting DNA, RNA, protein, metabolites, and lipids from the same biological sample. In this presentation, Dr. Phil Lorenzi details a sequential multiomic extraction tissue workflow built on the Covaris R230 ultrasonicator, tested across three challenging matrices: mouse liver, mouse skeletal muscle, and human stool. Using matched extraction solvents for each analyte class — including trifluoroethanol for metabolites, ethanol-based solvents for lipids, and urea-based buffers for proteins — the team evaluated recovery, reproducibility, and class-specific lipid annotation across nine workflow variations. Metabolite recovery proved largely consistent regardless of workflow, while lipid recovery varied significantly based on extraction solvent polarity, with nonpolar, ethanol-based solvents yielding the best results. Protein recovery, however, declined notably when metabolite and lipid extraction preceded it, signaling a clear area for further optimization. With the R230's capacity to process 96 samples simultaneously, the lab is now scaling this sequential multiomic extraction tissue approach to a 69-mouse aging study spanning 15 tissues per animal, generating early correlative insights between metabolite signatures, cytokine profiles, and gut microbiome diversity. More info: www.covaris.com/contact-us/ multiomic tissue extraction, Covaris R230, metabolomics lipidomics proteomics, sequential extraction workflow, high throughput tissue processing, mouse tissue extraction, microbiome research, mass spectrometry sample prep, City of Hope, multi-organ proteomics, ASMS 2026