Microfluidic platform to study three dimensional cell migration & capillary morphogenesis

Here we present a new microfluidic platform that allows for the simultaneous imaging of cells migrating through a 3D matrix, production of a stable, concentration gradient of chemoattractant, and side-by-side comparisons of control and test conditions to normalize for sample-to-sample variability. We demonstrate the system here in a study of the migration of two tumor cell lines and the sprouting of endothelial cells into the matrix from a monolayer. We also show results using the same system to investigate the transmigration of a tumor cell across an endothelial monolayer. These experiments demonstrate the wide range of capabilities of the new system.