Chemotaxis of Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells in Parallel Gradient Microfluidic Chambers

Growth factor-induced chemotaxis of cancer cells plays a critical role in metastasis. Using a novel microfluidic chemotaxis chamber capable of simultaneously generating multiple growth factor gradients, we quantified and compared the migration of the human metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 in different gradients of epidermal growth factor (EGF). We confirmed the potency of EGF as a chemoattractant, and demonstrated that EGF can direct migration over a large dynamic range of gradients. We also investigated the effect of antibody against the EGF receptor (EGFR) on MDA-MB-231 chemotaxis; both motility and directional orientation were impaired, indicating that cell motility was induced by the activation of EGFR. The microfluidic chamber described in this work will provide a platform for cell-based assays that can be used to compare the effectiveness of different pharmaceutical compounds targeting cell migration and metastasis.