Microfluidic devices fitted with "flowver" paper pumps generate steady, tunable gradients for extended observation of chemotactic cell migration.

Microfluidics approaches have gained popularity in the field of directed cell migration, enabling control of the extracellular environment and integration with live-cell microscopy; however, technical hurdles remain. Among the challenges are the stability and predictability of the environment, which are especially critical for the observation of fibroblasts and other slow-moving cells. Such experiments require several hours and are typically plagued by the introduction of bubbles and other disturbances that naturally arise in standard microfluidics protocols.

Tuning surface functionalization and collagen gel thickness to regulate cancer cell migration.

Cancer cells have a tremendous ability to sense and respond to extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness, modulating invasion. The magnitude of the sensed stiffness can either promote or inhibit the migration of cancer cells out of the primary tumor into surrounding tissue. Work has been done on examining the role of stiffness in tuning cancer cell migration by controlling elastic modulus in the bulk.