ABSTRACT
This chapter gives an overview of in vitro bioassays that assess the migratory potential of cells and focuses on the commonly used experimental protocols. Metastasis is a cascade of events that results in the spread of a malignant tumor from the primary site of origin into different organs of the body. This malignancy progression involves numerous complex processes such as alterations in the adhesive properties of tumor cells and their interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM), the migration of cells through blood or lymphatic vessels, and increased number of distant colonies. Cell migration assays performed in Transwell chambers are also referred to as Boyden Chamber Assays. The principle of fence or ring assay is the reverse of that of the cell exclusion zone assay. The fence assay differs from the wound healing assay. Microfluidic or capillary chamber migration assays involve seeding cells into a horizontal setting of two chambers that are connected sidewise by a narrow internal channel.
