From in vitro blood rheology to useful bedside instrumentation for cardiovascular diseases: history and challenges.

I present an historical overview beginning with Prof. Harry L. Goldsmith, my first summer research supervisor in 1963 in microrheology, evolving years later to introduction into my laboratories at McGill University of the coaxial cylinder couette flow device for dynamic, real-time measurements of platelet aggregation in platelet suspensions sheared up to 8000/s, analyzed with a flow cytometer, and finally to a technology transfer of this rheological approach toward the marketplace.