Protocol for inspecting blood cell dynamics with a custom ektacytometer-rheometer apparatus

Investigating flowing red blood cell (RBC) morphology and orientation is important for elucidating physiology and disease; existing commercially available products are limited to observing cell populations or single cells. In this protocol, we create a custom apparatus that combines coaxial brightfield microscopy with laser diffractometry to inspect near-real-time deformability, morphology, and orientation of flowing RBCs. There are difficulties associated with building optical systems for biological inspection; however, this protocol provides a suitable framework for developing an "ektacytoscope" for studying blood cells. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to McNamee et al. (2020).