Process / pipelineCell motility assay
Scratch Wound Assay
The scratch wound assay (also called the wound healing assay or gap closure assay) is a simple, cost-effective method for measuring cell migration in vitro. Developed and standardized by Liang, Park, and Guan in 2007, the assay involves creating a defined gap (wound) in a monolayer of confluent cells using a pipette tip or specialized tool, then monitoring the rate at which cells migrate into the gap over hours to days. The scratch wound assay is widely used to evaluate the effects of growth factors, inhibitory compounds, and biomaterial extracts on cell motility and wound healing potential.
Open in MethodMindSoonVideoSoon
Read the full method
Members only
Sign inSign in with a free account to read this section.
Sources
- Liang, C. C., Park, A. Y., & Guan, J. L. (2007). In vitro scratch assay: a convenient and inexpensive method for analysis of cell migration in vitro. Nature Protocols, 2(2), 329-333. DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2007.30 ↗
- Jonkman, J. E. N., Cathcart, J. A., Xu, F., et al. (2014). An introduction to the wound healing assay using live-cell microscopy. Cell Adhesion & Migration, 8(5), 440-451. DOI: 10.4161/cam.36224 ↗
- Rodriguez, L. G., Wu, X., & Guan, J. L. (2009). Wound-healing assay. In Cell Migration: Developmental Methods and Protocols. Humana Press, pp. 23-29. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-59745-533-1_3 ↗