Scratch Wound Healing Assay

Abstract

The scratch wound healing assay has been widely adapted and modified to study the effects of a variety of experimental conditions, for instance, gene knockdown or chemical exposure, on mammalian cell migration and proliferation. In a typical scratch wound healing assay, a “wound gap” in a cell monolayer is created by scratching, and the “healing” of this gap by cell migration and growth towards the center of the gap is monitored and often quantitated. Factors that alter the motility and/or growth of the cells can lead to increased or decreased rate of “healing” of the gap (Lampugnani, 1999). This assay is simple, inexpensive, and experimental conditions can be easily adjusted for different purposes. The assay can also be used for a high-throughput screen platform if an automated system is used (Yarrow and Perlman, 2004).