Cell Migration Assay (Scratch Assay)

The ability of cells to migrate and invade is of particular importance. The rate of cell migration in skin cells and other tissues is crucial for wound healing, while high invasive potential in cancer cells can lead to metastasis.

Normal cells in animal bodies possess the ability to repair themselves through cell migration when damaged. Drugs that can stimulate cell motility and promote faster migration could be effective in healing physical injuries. This effect may be mediated by changes in expression factors that play a role in faster division and, consequently, in quickly filling vacant spaces. Therefore, examining the extent of cell migration and invasion can be approached both molecularly (regulating all cellular behaviors through genetic elements) and morphologically.

Another issue is the increased invasive capability of cancerous tissues, which leads to metastasis. Thus, drugs that can reduce the invasive potential of cells, contrary to those effective in wound healing, are valuable and may be recognized as anti-metastatic agents. The migration of cancer cells can also be analyzed from both molecular and morphological perspectives. Naturally, a morphological examination is more cost-effective, and once the morphological evidence of a compound's positive or negative impact on cell migration and invasion is confirmed, molecular tests are conducted.

photon Laboratory offers services for assessing cell invasion and migration both morphologically, known as Wound Healing or Scratch Assay, and molecularly, which can be performed using the real-time PCR technique.

The wound healing test (Wound Healing Assay) or scratch test (Scratch Assay) is conducted using two different methods.

A simpler and more cost-effective method is the Scratch Assay. In this test, cells grow in multi-well plates and are scratched using a scratcher once they reach confluency and an appropriate density. In this test, a portion of the cells is removed along a defined line, and images are taken from that area at various time points. The higher the cell migration and invasion capability, the faster the scratched area is repopulated. Ultimately, the images taken at different times are compared.

The other method, which is relatively more precise, utilizes specialized wound healing plates (Wound Healing Assay) that accurately reflect migrating cells. In these specialized wound healing plates, a cell separator of a defined size is placed in each well, preventing cell growth in that area. The advantage of using specialized plates is that the size of the scratch created in each well is uniform, standardizing the experiment.