Confinement by liquid-liquid interface replicates in vivo neutrophil deformations and elicits bleb based migration.

Leukocytes navigate through interstitial spaces resulting in deformation of both the motile leukocytes and surrounding cells. Creating an in vitro system that models the deformable cellular environment encountered in vivo has been challenging. Here, we engineer microchannels with a liquid-liquid interface that exerts confining pressures (200-3000 Pa) similar to cells in tissues, and, thus, is deformable by cell generated forces.