Quantification of cell migration: metrics selection to model application

Abstract

Cell migration plays an essential role in physiological and pathological states, such as immune response, tissue generation and tumor development. This phenomenon can occur spontaneously or it can be triggered by an external stimuli, including biochemical, mechanical, or electrical cues that induce or direct cells to migrate. The migratory response to these cues is foundational to several fields including neuroscience, cancer and regenerative medicine. Various platforms are available to qualitatively and quantitatively measure cell migration, making the measurements of cell motility straight-forward. Migratory behavior must be analyzed by multiple metrics and then models to connect the measurements to physiological meaning. This review will focus on describing and quantifying cell movement for individual cell migration.