Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 7, 2026
07:05
Viability of Bioprinted Cellular Constructs Using a Three Dispenser Cartesian Printer
Published on: September 22, 2015
10.4K
Scratching in style: 3D printers as plotters for automated and complex wound-healing assays
Hanjo Köppe1,2, Magnus G Richert3, Debora Singer4,5
1Department of General Pharmacology, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
Iscience
|December 25, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a cost-effective, open-source method using 3D printers to create standardized 2D scratch wound healing assays. This technique improves cell migration analysis reproducibility and enables complex patterns for broader in vitro studies.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Biotechnology
- Bioengineering
Background:
- Scratch wound healing assays are standard 2D cell migration models.
- Manual scratch assays lack standardization in dimensions and pattern.
- Commercial devices for scratch assays are expensive and limited in pattern complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an open-source, cost-effective method for standardized scratch wound healing assays.
- To enable the creation of complex scratch patterns for enhanced cell migration analysis.
- To reduce reliance on expensive commercial cell migration assay devices.
Main Methods:
- Repurposing 3D printers as 2D plotters to create reproducible scratch dimensions.
- Utilizing various pipette tips for scratch generation.
- Operating the system under culture-hood conditions across multiple plate formats.
Main Results:
- Validated reproducible and consistent scratch parameters (width, straightness).
- Demonstrated the ability to generate programmable, complex scratch patterns.
- Confirmed system compatibility with common cell culture plates from different manufacturers.
Conclusions:
- The 3D printer-based method offers a cost-effective and standardized approach to scratch wound healing assays.
- Programmable patterns broaden in vitro migration analyses and protein expression studies.
- This open-source system enhances cell migration research accessibility and reproducibility.
