Abstract

Monitoring Cell Movement: Scratch Wound Healing, 3D Wound Healing, Cell Migration & Tumor Invasion

Paul Held, Applications Laboratory Manager, BioTek Instruments

The migration of cells is known to occur during a vast array of both normal biological processes such as wound healing and organism development or with pathological events such as cancer metastasis. The need to better understand the process of cell migration has led to the development of a number of different methods of investigation depending on the scientific question at hand. This presentation will describe the use of image based analysis using four different cell migration assays: (1) a high throughput cell migration format; (2) a 2D scratch wound healing assay; (3) a 3D wound healing and cell migration assay; and (4) a 3D tumor invasion assay. The high throughput cell migration assay uses a biocompatible gel (BCG) deposited in a portion of either a 96- or 384-well density microplate was used to exclude cells during seeding. After cell attachment, the BCG dissolves, compound additions can be made directly to the wells for investigation. The 2D scratch assay employs a mechanical insert patch that is removed after cell seeding revealing a linear “scratch” cell free zone that is used to monitor cellular migration over time. The 3D wound healing assay uses a magnet to induce extra cellular matrix (ECM) formation and cell printing/seeding in a ring pattern. The 3D tumor invasion assay employs specialized non-adherent plates to produce cell spheroids, which are encased in an extracellular collagen matrix. Changes in size and cell migration can be observed after the addition of drug compounds or chemo-attractants. Image data along with analysis and results for each methodology will be demonstrated.