A Microfluidic Chip for Testing the Migration Ability of SH-SY5Y Cells in Constricted Channels

The 3D structure and microenvironmental morphology of the physical environment influence the migration pathways and modes of cancer cells, which is crucial for understanding cancer dissemination and metastasis mechanisms. However, existing microfluidic chip structures still face challenges in inducing directional migration of neuroblastoma cells along narrow tubular structures. This study introduces a microfluidic chip design featuring guidance channels and narrow drainage tubes to assess the migration capabilities of SH-SY5Y cells in narrow tubular environments. Specifically, SHSY5Y Cells Guidance Channels (SGCs) were designed and fabricated as functional zones to induce directional migration of cells, while two narrow drainage tubes were placed on either side to facilitate media drainage and alleviate channel blockages. By establishing directed flow from an initial chamber to a final chamber, cell migration along SGCs was induced. Experimental results demonstrate that the microfluidic chip with SGCs effectively evaluates cell migration in elongated tubular environments. Furthermore, increasing the initial cell density seeded into the chip significantly enhanced the number of cells undergoing directional migration.