Application Note: Optimizing Performance Of The Membrane-Free, Oris™ Cell Migration Assay For High Throughput Screening Using The BioTek Synergy™ HT Multi-Mode Microplate Reader

Cell migration is a fundamental activity intrinsic to development and maintenance of homeostasis in processes such as wound healing, neovascularization and the workings of the immune system. The failure of cells to migrate, or the movement of invasive cells into inappropriate locations, is central to many disease processes such as dysregulated wound healing and cancer. Additionally, understanding cell migration is critical to emerging technologies such as tissue engineering and the successful bio-integration of prosthetic devices. There is a need for new technologies that will enable migration and invasion assays that are more reliable, less labor intensive, consume fewer cells and reagents, can be performed in less time and are amenable to high throughput formats.

The Oris™ Cell Migration Assay is a multistep process that starts with the application of a mask to the bottom of the wells of a 96-well microplate. In addition, a polymeric insert is fitted to the inside of the wells of the microplate. This insert prevents cells from seeding the inner analytic zone of the well when cells are added to the wells of the microplate. After cell attachment has occurred, the inserts are removed, allowing cells to freely migrate into the central analytic zone of the wells. Cells that have not migrated into the analytic zone are blocked from view by the mask initially applied to the plate bottom. Migrated cells are analyzed by microscopy or by detection with a Synergy HT Multi-Mode Microplate Reader using fluorescence mode.