New Flow Cytometer System for Aquatic Applications

Turner Designs (USA) is pleased to introduce the PhytoCyt™ Flow Cytometer, a revolutionary cell analysis system specially designed for marine applications and developed in partnership with flow cytometry innovator Accuri Cytometers, Inc. “In response to researchers’ increasing interest in the use of flow cytometry to monitor the health of marine and freshwater environments, we partnered with Accuri Cytometers to offer a flow cytometer designed to meet their unique requirements,” said Pam Mayerfeld, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Turner Designs. “We are proud to introduce the PhytoCyt™ system which combines Turner Designs’ expertise in aquatic applications with the outstanding performance qualities and affordability of Accuri’s cell analysis technology.”

Compact (23”W x 17”D), lightweight (less than 30 pounds), sturdy, easy-to-use and with no special power requirements, the PhytoCyt™ works as well on board a ship as in a traditional laboratory. Its innovative design enables Turner Designs to offer the PhytoCyt™ at a substantially lower price than most other flow cytometers available today. The PhytoCyt™ is also efficient to maintain and service, resulting in a very affordable overall cost of ownership.

The PhytoCyt™ Flow Cytometer includes blue and red lasers, two scatter detectors, and four fluorescence detectors. The optical filters and lasers used in the system have been optimized for the detection of the endogenous fluorophores common to phytoplankton including phycoerythrin, chlorophyll, and phycocyanins. One of the detectors has been optimized for green fluorescence detection which allows labeling with exogenous reagents, if desired. The unique peristaltic pump system used for sample delivery allows the volume sampled, and thus absolute counts of populations, to be determined while still maintaining the advantages of hydrodynamic focusing for small particle detection.

“The breakthrough Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer® was developed with the goal of providing bench researchers everywhere access to the powerful capabilities of leading flow cytometers in a compact, reliable, easy-to-use, and affordable format,” said Jack Ball, Chief Commercial Officer of Accuri. “The market acceptance of our approach is evidenced by the fact that in just a few years’ time, we have shipped over 500 systems around the globe. We are committed to working with a variety of partners to ensure the wide accessibility of our technology and we are delighted to collaborate with Turner Designs on the PhytoCyt™ system for aquatic applications.”