Cell migration & chemotaxis evaluation

Cell migration is a key critical process of live cells involved in many biological processes – physiological and pathological - including normal development, immune response, and many pathological processes e.g. cancer metastasis, tumor immune infiltration, inflammation, wound healing…
The study of cell migration in cancer research is of particular interest as two of the main challenges in the development of novel therapeutic strategies are i) the inhibition of metastatic progression of cancer cells and ii) stimulation of the recruitment of immune cells and their infiltration into the tumor masses. Indeed, while for cancer spread throughout the body cancer cells must migrate and invade through extracellular matrix, and intravasate/extravasate, chemotactic immune cell recruitment and infiltration into the tumor (e.g. neutrophils, effector T cells, regulatory T cells (Treg), Th17, macrophages, dendritic cells) is primordial for effective anti-tumor immune response to counter disease progression.
 
In this respect, Explicyte is offering valuable in vitro cell-based 96-w plate assays to evaluate compounds effects (with potential chemoattractive or chemorepulsive properties) on the migration of immune or cancer cells, respectively. Based on live cell time-lapse imaging, our assays unlike conventional single time-point chemotaxis/migration assays allow for full time course chemotaxis/cell migration profiles.
 

Illustrative data

Immune cells

Chemotactic T cell migration induction
Chemoattractive effect of SDF1 on T Jurkat cell migration. Chemotaxis monitoring and quantification over a 48h period allows for visualization of time- and dose-dependent Jurkat T cells migration toward SDF1? chemoattractant, from the top to the bottom side of membrane. 

Chemoattractive effect of SDF1 on T Jurkat cell migration. Chemotaxis monitoring and quantification ...

Chemotactic T cell migration inhibition
Chemotactic Jurkat T cell migration is induced by SDF1a and reversed in the presence of a CXCR4 antagonist. While SDF1a time- and dose-dependently promotes Jurkat T cell migration, this chemoattractive effect is antagonized by AMD-3465, a potent CXCR4 antagonist. 

Chemotactic Jurkat T cell migration is induced by SDF1a and reversed in the presence ...

Chemotactic primary T cell migration
Chemotactic primary T cell migration is dose-dependently induced by SDF1α (A) over a 24h period. This chemoattractive effect is antagonized in the presence of a CXCR4 inhibitor (AMD-3100) (B).

Chemotactic primary T cell migration is dose-dependently induced by SDF1α (A) over a ...

Neutrophil cells

Human neutrophil chemotaxis induction
Neutrophil chemotaxis toward fMLP and IL-8. Chemotactic neutrophil migration is dose-dependently induced by fMLP (a) and IL-8 (b), rapidly over a 6h period. These chemoattractive effects are completely abolished in the presence of a PLC? inhibitor (U73122).

Neutrophil chemotaxis toward fMLP and IL-8. Chemotactic neutrophil migration is dose-dependently ...

Human neutrophil chemotaxis inhibition
Freshly isolated human neutrophils are plated on a coated optically clear filter membrane (top side), and then exposed, unless otherwise indicated, to IL8 (A) or CXCL1 (C), in the presence and absence of a CXCR2 antagonist AZD10397767 (B, D). Cell migration is then monitored by real-time imaging and analysis is performed over a 6h and 15h period monitoring, respectively.
Chemotactic neutrophil migration is dose-dependently induced by IL8 (A) and CXCL1 (C), rapidly over a period of 6h or 15h. The CXCR2 antagonist AZD10397767 partially abolishes these IL8-induced (B) and CXCL1-induced (C, D) chemotactic effects.

Freshly isolated human neutrophils are plated on a coated optically clear filter membrane ...

Murine neutrophil chemotaxis induction
Murine neutrophil chemotaxis is dose-dependently induced by mCXCL1 (A) and mCXCL2 (B), rapidly over a 6h period.

Murine neutrophil chemotaxis is dose-dependently induced by mCXCL1 (A) and mCXCL2 (B), rapidly ...

Assay principle


Cell migration & chemotaxis

  • Cells are seeded in the upper chamber onto a 96-w format translucent porous membrane (coated, if needed).
  • Insert is placed in the lower chamber and immersed in the migration medium
  • Real-time visualization & kinetic monitoring of chemotaxis/cell migration by live cell imaging
  • Whole-well images of cells on the bottom and top of the porous membrane are acquired and processed for data analysis & quantification. Directed cell migration is analyzed as cell area on the bottom or top side of the membrane for adherent and non-adherent cells, respectively, that migrate down the pores.