Computer automation in measurement and analysis of cell motility in vitro

The application of computerized techniques to the study of cell motility has allowed direct examination and quantitation of individual cell movement and morphology. This has stimulated interest in theoretical models of cell motility, and has prompted the need for increasingly sophisticated approaches to analyze and present cell motility data. In this article we review some of the microscope systems currently used to study cell motility, and give more details on such a system developed in our own laboratory, the DMIPS Cell Analyzer. Brief examples of its application to the field of cell motility are provided. Some areas of further research in the field of automated microscopy are also discussed.