Although Cairn photometric systems are usually based around fluorescence microscopes the same hardware can also be configured with our cuvette holder assembly to produce a standalone instrument. Initially designed for fluorescence and absorbance measurements, the assembly has recently been upgraded to cater for bioluminescence. As with all our products the emphasis is firmly on flexibility and compatibility; we have made it as simple as possible to integrate with other Cairn or third-party equipment.

The unit comprises of a thermally insulated inner block, with provision for electronic or perfusion based temperature control, and a light tight outer shell. The standard design has four equivalent ports, all of which can be configured either for illumination via a light guide or for detection (usually using a photomultiplier tube). The lid includes an interchangeable cap, which can be configured for perfusion tubes or direct injection using a pipette or syringe.

In the model adapted for bioluminescence one of the ports includes a close coupled, low noise, integrated photon counting head. The three remaining ports are usually capped, but can be made available for standard fluorescence or absorbance if required.