Design of a microfluidic device to quantify dynamic intra-nuclear deformation during cell migration through confining environments.

ABSTRACT: The ability of cells to migrate through tissues and interstitial spaces is an essential factor during development and tissue homeostasis, immune cell mobility, and in various human diseases. Deformation of the nucleus and its associated lamina during 3-D migration is gathering increasing interest in the context of cancer metastasis, with the underlying hypothesis that a softer nucleus, resulting from reduced levels of lamin A/C, may aid tumour spreading. However, current methods to study the migration of cells in confining three dimensional (3-D) environments are limited by their imprecise control over the confinement, physiological relevance, and/or compatibility with high resolution imaging techniques. We describe the design of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic device composed o

SUBMITTER: Davidson PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4666765 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature