A compact microfluidic system for cell migration studies

Microfluidic systems can better control cellular microenvironments and therefore are increasingly used for cell migration research. However, most existing systems are impractical to use without specialized facilities and researchers. Toward removing this barrier, we developed a compact USB microscope-based Microfluidic Chemotaxis Analysis System (UMCAS). This system integrates microfluidic devices, live cell imaging, environmental control and data analysis to provide a solution for rapid microfluidic cell migration and chemotaxis experiments with real-time result reporting. This developed system was successfully validated by testing neutrophil chemotaxis.