Question

Suggest and evaluate several kinds of experiment or assay used for studying cell migration in vitro.

Answer 1

Cell migration is the movement of single cells or a group of cells at different mobilities in response to biochemical signals. It is a fundamental process in the development and maintenance of tissues and organs of multicellular organisms. It starts at the embryonic stage and continues until death and can contribute to the pathogenesis of diseases.

Two common in vitro methods used for studying cell migration are; Cell wound closure assays and transwell cell migration and invasion assays.

Cell wound closure assays assess the ability of certain cell lines close a wound made in a confluent plate of cells by migration. This method is highly accessible and easy method to measure cell migration in comparison to the existing methods.

On the other hand, transwell cell migration and invasion assay analyses the ability of cells to sense a chemo-attractant and migrate towards it through a physical barrier.