The ability of malignant tumor cells to invade normal surrounding tissue contributes in large part to the morbidity and mortality of cancers. Cell invasion requires several distinct cellular functions including adhesion, motility, detachment, and extracellular matrix proteolysis.
Our CytoSelect™ Cell Invasion Assays utilize precoated inserts to assay the invasive properties of tumor cells. Invasive cells can be quantified in 24-well plates on either a standard microplate reader or a fluorescence plate reader. Inserts are precoated on the top of the membrane with Collagen I.
CytoSelect™ Cell Invasion Assay Principle. Cell suspensions are placed on top of the gel matrix inside the upper chamber. After 24-48 hours, invasive cells move through the matrix and adhere to the bottom membrane of the insert. Non-invasive cells are then removed from the upper chamber, and invasive cells can be either stained and counted using a light microscope or quantified after extraction using a colorimetric or fluorometric plate reader.
