The disclosure provides apparatus and methods related to the assessment of the
fragility and / or deformability of cells, comprising applying negative pressure to an interior volume defined by a hollow member that comprises a fenestration, wherein the negative pressure is sufficient to(1 ) partially aspirate a
cell into the interior volume of the hollow member through the fenestration at a time to, and (2) following to, rupture the
cell at a time tr, resulting in the complete aspiration of the
cell into the interior volume of the hollow member, and measuring a time to rupture of the cell (T) between tr and to. The apparatus and methods provided herein use
small sample volumes and provide improved sensitivity and reproducibility over existing methods of assessing cell
fragility and / or deformability. The apparatus and methods provided herein are useful for, e.g., evaluating the quality of stored blood to facilitate decisions regarding transfusion and diagnosing a
disease, disorder, or condition.