Fig. 1.

Optical measurement of morphological properties of RBCs. Morphological information about the sample (eccentricity, surface area, and volume) can be obtained from deformations of the optical wave front after its traversal through RBCs. The phase delay of the optical wave front after passing through the sample is related to optical properties and morphology of the sample, and can be accurately measured through advanced interferometry. Accurate measurements of the morphology over time reveal thermal fluctuations that cause out-of-plane displacements of the cell membrane (bottom right image), which provide insights into the biomechanical properties of the whole cell (bending and shear modulus as well the cytosol viscosity). (Scale bars: 4 μm.)