Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Bioprocessing Technology Institute BTI, 20 Biopolis Way, Singapore, 138668, Singapore.
Celligenics Pte Ltd, 30 Biopolis Street, Singapore, 138671, Singapore.
BMC Biotechnol. 2023 Aug 28;23(1):32. doi: 10.1186/s12896-023-00806-5.
The in-vitro scratch assay is a useful method in wound healing research to assess cell migration. In this assay, a scratch is created in a confluent cell layer by mechanically removing cells through manual scraping with a sharp-edged tool. This step is traditionally done with pipette tips and is unsuitable for high-throughput assays, as the created scratches are highly variable in width and position. Commercially available solutions are often expensive, and require specific cultureware which might not be suitable for all studies.
In this study, we have developed a flexible cell scratch device comprising a single wounding tool, a guide and an imaging template for consistent and reproducible scratch assays in 96-well plates. Our results showed that the device produced a more consistent scratch profile compared to the conventional method of using pipette tips. The imaging template also allowed operators to easily locate and image the same region of interest at different time points, which potentially could be used for other assays.
Our flexible yet effective scratch device thus enables robust scratch assays that can be applied to different experimental needs, providing researchers with an easy and reliable tool for their studies.
划痕实验是一种用于评估细胞迁移的伤口愈合研究中有用的方法。在该实验中，通过用尖锐的工具手动刮擦来机械去除细胞，在汇合的细胞层中产生划痕。此步骤传统上使用移液管吸头完成，但不适合高通量测定，因为所产生的划痕的宽度和位置差异很大。市售的解决方案通常很昂贵，并且需要特定的培养器皿，这可能不适合所有研究。
在这项研究中，我们开发了一种灵活的细胞划痕装置，包括一个单一的划痕工具、一个导向器和一个成像模板，用于在 96 孔板中进行一致且可重复的划痕测定。我们的结果表明，与使用移液管吸头的传统方法相比，该装置产生的划痕轮廓更一致。成像模板还允许操作人员在不同时间点轻松找到和成像相同的感兴趣区域，这可能可用于其他测定。
因此，我们的灵活而有效的划痕装置可实现稳健的划痕测定，可应用于不同的实验需求，为研究人员提供了一种用于研究的简便可靠的工具。
