Impedimetric quantification of migration speed of cancer cells migrating along a Matrigel-filled microchannel

Cancer metastasis, that cancer cells migrate from primary to distance site, is the major cause of death for cancer patients. Investigation of the correlation between cell migration and extracellular stimulation is critical to develop effective therapy for suppressing cancer metastasis. However, the existing cell migration assays remain limitations to faithfully investigate cell migration capability. In this work, a microfluidic device embedded with impedance measurement system was developed for the quantification of cancer cell migration process. Cancer cells were guided and migrated along a Matrigel-filled microchannel mimicking the basement membrane. The microchannel was embedded with 5 pairs of opposite electrodes. Cell migration process was monitored by impedance measurement and migration speed was calculated from the traveling distance divided by the time taken. Impedimetric quantification of cell migration under extracellular stimulation of interleukin-6 was demonstrated. The result showed a higher measurement sensitivity compared to the conventional Transwell assay. The current microfluidic device provides a reliable and quantitative assessment of cellular response under tested conditions. It is potentially beneficial to the study of suppressing cancer metastasis.