Cell Migrations: Causes and Functions

The last 20 years have seen the blooming of microfluidics technologies applied to biologi- cal sciences. Microfluidics provides effective tools for biological analysis, allowing the experimentalists to extend their playground to single cells and single molecules, with high throughput and resolution which were inconceivable few decades ago. In particular, microfluidic devices are profoundly changing the conventional way of studying the cell motility and cell migratory dynamics. In this chapter we will furnish a comprehensive view of the advancements made in the research do- main of confinement-induced cell migration, thanks to the use of microfluidic devices. The chapter is subdivided in three parts. Each sec- tion will be addressing one of the fundamental questions that the microfluidic technology is contributing to unravel: (i) where cell migra- tion takes place, (ii) why cells migrate and, (iii) how the cells migrate. The first introduc- tory part is devoted to a thumbnail, and par- tially historical, description of microfluidics and its impact in biological sciences. Stress will be put on two aspects of the devices fab- rication process, which are crucial for biolog- ical applications: materials used and coating methods. The second paragraph concerns the cell migration induced by environmental cues: chemical, leading to chemotaxis, mechanical, at the basis of mechanotaxis, and electrical, which induces electrotaxis. Each of them will be addressed separately, highlighting the fun- damental role of microfluidics in providing the well-controlled experimental conditions where cell migration can be induced, inves- tigated and ultimately understood. The third part of the chapter is entirely dedicated to how the cells move in confined environments. Invadosomes (the joint name for podosomes and invadopodia) are cell protrusion that con- tribute actively to cell migration or invasion. The formation of invadosomes under confine- ment is a research topic that only recently has caught the attention of the scientific commu- nity: microfluidic design is helping shaping the future direction of this emerging field of research.