Rotor mixer for agitation of fluids during sample preparation

A method of isolating nucleic acids from a biological sample, comprising:

• providing a multi-well plate for performing nucleic acid isolation, the multi-well plate comprising:
• a plurality of process wells arranged in a sequence on the multi-well plate, said sequence of process wells comprising:
• a lysis well at a first end of the sequence of process wells,
• an elution well at an opposite second end of the sequence of process wells, and
• at least one wash well positioned intermediate the lysis well and the elution well along the sequence of process wells;
• forming a lysis mixture by combining ingredients comprising the biological sample, a lysis buffer, and magnetic beads in the lysis well;
• inserting a rotor mixer comprising a magnetic tip into the lysis well;
• vortexing the lysis mixture by spinning the rotor mixer wherein the vortexing speed of the rotor mixer is sufficient to disperse the magnetic beads in the lysis mixture;
• ceasing vortexing of the lysis mixture by stopping the spinning of the rotor mixer, whereby magnetic beads within the lysis mixture magnetically attach to the magnetic tip of the rotor mixer;
• removing the rotor mixer tip with the magnetic beads magnetically attached thereto from the lysis well;
• inserting the rotor mixer tip in the at least one wash well, wherein the at least one wash well contains a washing buffer, to wash the magnetic beads;
• removing the rotor mixer from the at least one wash well;
• and
• immersing the rotor mixer tip with the magnetic beads magnetically attached thereto into the elution well, wherein the elution well contains an elution buffer, to elute the nucleic acids from the beads.