Reagent cassette

A cassette for arranging and loading reagent containers into a staining apparatus, the cassette including:

• a housing with a base and walls upstanding from the base to define a plurality of compartments, each compartment being configured for receiving a reagent container,
• wherein, the housing includes two portions, pivotably coupled together at respective first ends thereof, and configured to pivot between an open configuration and a closed configuration,
• wherein, each portion of the housing in the closed configuration is receivable within a corresponding one of an adjacent pair of channels located within the staining apparatus when the cassette is loaded therewithin,
• wherein each portion of the housing includes at the location of each compartment, an aperture extending substantially through a wall thereof to at least partially receive a corresponding protrusion of a reagent container received within the compartment to ensure that the reagent container is correctly placed within the compartment,
• wherein the wall of each housing portion is a side wall, and wherein only the apertures associated with one of the two housing portions are externally facing when the housing is in the closed configuration, and
• wherein more of the apertures are extended through the side wall than through an opposite wall of each housing portion, the opposite wall being opposite to the side wall of each housing portion.